If You Give A Ghost A Nightmare (and other assorted ficlets)
by Rose Verdict
Summary: One-Shot compilation, featuring revelation fics, alternate endings, and other plot bunnies that woULD NOT STOP PESTERING ME! ToC is chapter 1, everything after that is fic. Various genres, various styles, various approaches. Join Danny and the gang as they go through mostly-unconnected shenanigans! Buckle up, sit tight, enjoy, and pass the fudge!
1. Table Of Contents

_**Welp I guess it's a compilation now**_

I'm gonna come right out and say it, I might write a one-shot and then later on come back to it with some more.

 _So far, we have:_

 _ **Chapter 1:** If You Give A Ghost A Nightmare_

(Family, Hurt/Comfort)

It's finally happened. The (in)famous ghost hunters, Jack and Maddie Fenton, have finally gotten their hands on the ghost boy, Danny Phantom. However, as their prisoner tosses and turns, the two hunters-gone-parents may have to face a revelation that turns their entire worldview on its head. (tl:dr shutup i wanna write my own revelation fic mwahaha)

 _ **Chapter 2:** Similarities_

(Friendship)

Valerie notices how different the two Dannys are, but then she has to come to a realization that completely changes the way she views the ghost kid. Set after D-stabilized

 _ **Chapter 3:** The Worst 30 Seconds_

(Family, Hurt/Comfort, Cheese)

A retelling of the climax of Phantom Planet, except we can follow Maddie and Jack's trains of thought as everything they thought they knew comes crashing down. Cheesier than Vlad's mansion.

 _ **Chapter 4**_ _Phantom Signs_

(PURE UNADULTERATED FLUFF, Universe Alteration)

In which Danny's human form is deaf (and thusly he knows sign language) and good times are had all around. Actually not a reveal fic, but still warm and fuzzy acceptance feels. Based off of DontBlink71167's deaf/mute!Danny story, The Silent Phantom

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **5:**_ _Fenton, Phantom, and Someone In Between_

(Action, Adventure, Universe Alteration)

(Warning: 12K words, so not a nice short drabble this time! :D)

Once upon a time, Danny accidentally caused the formation of his ultimate enemy, and in another time and place, he survived. Fully human and sick of watching his twisted ghost half destroy everything he held dear, he realizes he may just be able to save the world one last time. Set in the timeline that leads up to TUE, then in the episode itself. _(Alternate goofy title: The Big One (That Won't Let Me Write It))_

 _ **Chapter 6:**_ _Away And Back Again_

(starts off as ＡＮＧＳＴ, but is really more the Comfort of Hurt/Comfort once it gets rolling, many happy feels are had)

A continuation of ImpudentMiscegenation's "Run," in which Dash shows maturity, Danny finally gets to eat, Amity Park joins forces with the Ghost Zone, the GiW ｓｕｃｋ, and Rosie V loses her phriggin' mind.

 _ **Chapter 7:** Twinkle_

(Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, GIVE ME A SATISFYING END TO VALERIE'S CHARACTER ARC DANGIT)

In which Val does some soul-searching after PP, Danny is worried, and they're both just really awkward about the whole thing.

 _ **Chapter 8:** Freckles_

(Fluff, Space Sparkle/Balanced Obsession AU, VERY FLUFFY)

A crosspost from Tumblr, set in shinyspooks's AU, where halfas have more than one obsession. Danny's obsessions are protection and space. While in protection mode, he gives off the feeling of an untouchable superhero. Space mode…not so much.

 _ **Coming up next on the Procastination Channel:**_

 _ **Chapter ???:** Enigma_

(Drama, Mystery)

Danny Fenton was an enigma. He'd used to be a wimpy nobody, and his friends were just as forgettable. Over the course of their years at Casper, however, the 'Freaky Trio' changes, for better or worse, and it's starting to catch their classmates' attention. More importantly, it's starting to catch Lancer's. And while he may not know what caused such a drastic change in the three outcasts, he's determined to find out.


	2. Chapter 1: IYGAGAN

**If You Give A Ghost A Nightmare**

 ** _*RUNS INTO THE SITE SCREAMING APOLOGIES*_**

 ** _*DROPKICKS THIS ATCHU FOUR YEARS LATE WITH STARBUCKS AND A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION*_**

 ** _*RUNS BACK OUT, STILL SCREAMING*_**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny Phantom soared through the skies, shooting back home to deliver that night's catches back to the Ghost Zone. With the wind in his hair and the stars in the sky, he felt more relaxed than he had in a good long while.

There were a few cars going by down below, but he didn't pay them any mind until he was within hit-and-run range.

All in all, it was probably the most serene moment he'd had since his parents decided to capture him.

Ironically enough, that was when they sprung their trap.

"PUT YOUR SLIMEY HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE 'EM, GHOST!!!"

Danny winced at the sound of his mother's voice, but held up his hands. From the sound of it, (and the headlights) they had pulled up behind him while he was lost in thought. While he knew he could avoid his dad's lousy shots, his mom was, well, his mom. Even if they were just a regular family, she would only give up an escape route if she intended for her prey to leave.

In short, he was stuck until he could figure out what to do.

"Do ya think you could use the word 'please' more often?" Danny quipped, his voice hiding his worry.

Maddie scoffed. "That's a courtesy only extended to those from the land of the living!"

Danny cringed again. He really wanted to make some witty 'but I'm halfway there' comment, but instead settled for turning around to see what they were pointing at him this time.

A Fenton Foamer for each parent, their jumpsuit weapons all engaged, and the GAV completely fired up. They weren't playing around anymore.

"Alright, Maddie, Jack, what did I do this time?" Danny snarked, his mouth turning up in a grin as he realized he hadn't stumbled over his parents' names for once.

Jack looked like he was ready to fire, but Maddie stayed his hand and turned back to their prey. "This isn't about anything you've done tonight, spook. This is about the mayor, and the jewels!"

Danny flinched at the mentions of the times he was framed. "Aw dang. And I'm guessing I can't convince you that it really wasn't my fault-because it wasn't?"

"You're a ghost!" Jack declared. "It's in your nature to lie and decieve!"

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Danny shot back, now on edge. There was a ghost nearby, one that had no problems with attacking a human, so he had to wrap this up and make sure his parents got back home. "Did you ask one? Or did you put stock in he-said-she-said before finding evidence for yourself?"

"What's it to you, ghost?" Maddie narrowed her eyes, looking down her gun at him, trigger finger twitching.

"Well, considering you two plan on ripping me apart molecule by molecule on the basis of your flawed theory, I figure my existence is kinda in jeopardy if I can't show you the truth." Phantom's eyes shot around, scanning the area for their would-be attacker.

Jack finally ran out of patience, firing his weapon. "You don't deserve an existence, scum!"

A net shot from the muzzle, trapping Danny and making him drop his Fenton Thermos. The kickback knocked Jack on his rear end, but Danny had bigger problems.

His vision swum. "Wha…whadiya do ta me?"

"Like it?" Maddie smirked. "It's an energy-sapping upgrade to our original net. The moment it entraps you, it drains your power until you can't use any of your supernatural abilities. Now, you're coming with us."

With those words, Danny Phantom sunk into unconsciousness, not to wake up for a long, long time.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Jack shut the door to the Fenton Ghost Containment Unit and headed back to his wife. "Phantom is secure. Now can we tear it apart molecule by molecule?"

"Not yet." Maddie flipped a few switches, turning on a monitor in the process. "It did make a valid point. We haven't exactly been adhering to our scientific principles when it comes to ghosts."

"So…no tearing?" Jack grumbled. "Aw man…"

Maddie pressed a button. "The best way to get unbiased information from Phantom is to get it while its guard is down. It appears to be emulating human sleep, which means it could be emulating dreams, as well. If we can find out what it dreams about, we can find out the truth as Phantom believes it to be."

A light came on, signalling that everything being viewed was being recorded.

There was static on the monitor for a moment, then as Phantom snored, an image flashed into being.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _A birds-eye view of the town._

 _An overlay indicated the feeling of peace._ _The viewpoint shifted, then flew in loops in every direction._

 _There was echo-y whooping of joy, and the emotional overlay indicated extreme enjoyment._

 _The image froze as Phantom was overcome with dread._

'A ghost? Here? But I thought I caught them all!'

 _Ah, Daniel, that is where you're mistaken.'_

 _Phantom's field of vision whirled around to face Vlad Masters, floating behind him._ 'What do you want, Plasmius?'

 _Oh, it's not about what I want,' Dream Masters (Plasmius?!) chuckled, 'it's about what you want, dear boy.'_

'What, is Desiree giving you evil lessons now?' _Phantom quipped._ 'You've lost your touch.'

 _'Have I?' Dream Masters pointed back to where Phantom had been facing before he'd shown up._

 _A feminine scream pierced the air, and Phantom's dread was replaced by fear._

 _Phantom gasped, spinning around. Suddenly, he was no longer high above Amity Park, but rather, inside a red and white version of Vlad Masters's mansion. In the middle of the foyer, there was an operating table with a young girl who looked a lot like Phantom._

'DANIELLE!!!'

 _Phantom darted to her side just as she melted into ectoplasmic goop, her final expression that of sadness and pain._

'NOOO!!!'

 _Phantom fumbled for something, only to find nothing. Dream Vlad chuckled and swept into view. 'Looking for this?'_

 _Phantom's head snapped up, the overlay on the monitor shifting from grief to fury. In Dream Vlad's hands, there was a syringe of something green._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Hey, isn't that the Ecto-Dejecto?" Jack frowned. "I thought I got rid of that after it backfired and made ghosts stronger?"

Maddie squinted at the monitor. Not only was Phantom dreaming, but it was…he was dreaming about emotional moments.

What was going on?

〜〜〜〜〜〜

'Hand it over, frootloop.' _Phantom demanded. His voice had lost all levity, and his emotional state was in turmoil._ 'Let me save her.'

 _'What was that? You want me to' -Dream Vlad crushed the syringe between his fingers- 'handle it roughly? Done!"_ _Phantom's heart(?) fell like a rock._

'HOW COULD YOU?!' _Phantom screamed._ 'SHE WAS BASICALLY YOUR DAUGHTER! YOURS WAS THE FIRST FACE SHE SAW! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!'

 _Dream Vlad chuckled again, this time shifting from Vlad Masters to Vlad Plasmius. The resemblance was, quite frankly, uncanny. 'It's chess, Daniel. I wouldn't expect you to understand the importance of sacrificing a pawn to protect the king.'_

 _Phantom leapt at him, and as far as his point of view was concerned, the world became a huge jumble of colors._

 _Suddenly he was laying on a decimated highway. Rubble lay everywhere, and it was deathly silent._

 _Phantom made to push himself up, but froze at the sight of his gloves._

 _They were black as night._

'No…nononono…NONONONONO!' _Phantom yelped, but his voice was now deep and smooth, rather than high and squeaky like the preteen he seemed to be._

 _He looked around at his body, now muscled and dangerous. A black and white cape fluttered in the wind. The emotional overlay signalled fear, horror, and self-hatred, all in unimaginable amounts._

 _In the distance, he could hear echoes of the word_ **'inevitable.'**

 _Phantom fell to his knees, sobbing._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"What's so scary about being buff?" Jack tilted his head in confusion.

Maddie added under her breath, "Why would he dream of destruction, and then…hate it?"

"He?" Jack shot a look at his wife, but both were drawn by the sounds of Phantom's shifting in his sleep.

His face screwed up in discomfort as he groaned.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _Some rubble shifted, and Phantom flinched, looking up at it_

 _A decaying corpse of Jazz pushed its way into view. In its hand, there was the shell of the Fenton Peeler. 'You're…not…Danny…'_

 **'inevitable inevitable inevitable'**

'N-no! It's me! J-Jazz, IT'S ME!' _Phantom wept._ 'Please…help me…'

 _More debris shifted, and two more zombies rose up from the wreckage of the Nasty Burger, this time in the shapes of Sam and Tucker._

 _Zombie Sam moaned. 'You…weren't…fast enough…to…save…us…'_

 _'…how…could…you…' Zombie Tucker continued. '…you…left us…alone…'_

 **'Inevitable! Inevitable!'**

'NO! I DIDN'T…I DIDN'T MEAN TO!' _Phantom screamed. He fell into grieving again._ 'I SWEAR! I TRIED AS HARD…AS HARD…as I…I…I'M SORRY!'

 _As the three advanced on him, Phantom shot up into the air, sobbing openly._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Jack and Maddie Fenton couldn't tear their eyes away from the ghost or the screen.

Green tears trickled from Phantom's eyes as he shuddered.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _There was a whine of ecto-weaponry behind him._

 _'Been waiting a looong time for this, Phantom!'_

'VALERIE!' _Phantom yelled, spinning to face her._ 'PLEASE!'

 **'Me? My future? I'm…'**

 _Valerie's hair couldn't make up its mind. Was it long or short? Wavy or buzz-cut? Held up by her head or her headband? Hidden under the Red Huntress's mask or swept to the side by the breeze?_

 _Her hoverboard also had issues staying the same, but her face never changed. 'I WON'T BE TRICKED THIS TIME!'_

 **'ME? MY FUTURE? I'M INEVITABLE!'**

 _Phantom choked on a sob and shot away, nearly getting nailed by Valerie's blasts. He zipped through the wreckage of the city, eventually beelining for what was left of Casper High._

 _The moment he flew inside, his body changed into its normal self; lean, lanky, and not at all muscular. He ran through the halls, completely ignored by all the students_ , _very nearly colliding with someone in a letter jacket._

 _'Hey, watch it, Fenturd!'_

 _The jock grabbed the front of Phantom's suit (which was a white and red t-shirt now?) and pulled him up to eye level._

 _Dash Baxter glared down at Phantom as he sputtered._ 'Sorry, Dash, I just gotta get to class and wasn't looking where I was going-'

 _'That's right, you weren't looking!' Dash growled. 'We'll deal with this after school, y'hear me?!'_

 _'Hey, leave him alone!'_

 _Tucker and Sam reappeared, this time completely alive._

 _'Ugh, fine…for now…' Dash grumbled, slamming Phantom into the locker door before leaving._

 _'Hey, dude, you okay?' Tucker asked. 'Dash roughed you up something hard.'_

 _Phantom waved off the question._ 'I'll be fine. Come on, let's try not to be late.'

 _Sam came up and offered an arm to steady Phantom, something he gratefully accepted._

 _With no warning, the trio were in class, waiting for the teacher. The classroom was mostly empty, save for their group._

 _'So, who do ya think is gonna be the sub?' Sam asked, doodling in her notebook._

'Probably Lancer again.' _Phantom sighed._ 'You two know how much he's waiting for someone to cheat on the CATs so he can "set them straight," yeah?'

 _The two friends didn't respond._

'Uh, guys?' _Phantom started getting a bad feeling about what was happening._ 'You two okay?'

 _The sub sauntered in, but he was not Mr. Lancer._

 _'I will be your sub today.' The white ghost stated. 'I'm here because I hear you punks like to break the rules. My name is Walker. You will only address me as "Sir" unless you wanna break the rules.'_

 _The door opened again, this time for a pale man with a staff and a top hat. 'And I am Freakshow! If Walker here decides you need punishment, I shall be the one to dole it out.' He gave his staff a shake._

 _Fear crept into Phantom's mind, but he couldn't look away from the crystal ball on top of the staff._

 _'ZONING OUT IN CLASS!' Walker's voice made Phantom jump. 'That's against the rules!'_

'ACK!' _Phantom scrambled backwards, suddenly alone in the room with Walker and Freakshow._

 _Walker changed into the old mayor and dragged Phantom out the door, wrestling him into position. They stood on the steps of City Hall, where every news crew waited._ _Walker-the-mayor faked a struggle, crying out, 'Help! Help me!' before shoving Phantom back into the building, now the inside of a jewelry store. 'Now they'll never trust you.'_

 _Phantom's emotional overlay filled with heartbreak._

 _As Walker vanished, Freakshow walked into view again, this time clutching his staff with some sort of bejeweled gauntlet._

 _'Now, my slave, you must obey me!' He declared, forcing his crystal ball staff to fill Phantom's vision._

 _There wasn't much change in the visuals for a little while, just the sounds of sirens and screams. In the background, Freakshow's voice could be heard issuing orders, which Phantom had no choice but to carry out._

 _There were a few moments of clarity. On a high wire in Circus Gothica, Sam slipped and fell, only for Phantom to swoop down and save her, filled with worry._

 _Then again, this time on a train chugging away. Freakshow tried to make Phantom return the staff, treating him like a wild animal. Sam and Tucker were trapped by the other ghosts under the staff's spell._

 _Sam's foot lost purchase on the train, and she tipped over and out of view._

 _The moment Sam fell off the train, the scene changed again._

 _This time, Phantom was with Sam and Tucker's zombies in the Fenton lab._ _Zombie Sam smirked. 'Five bucks…says you won't…go in there…_

 _Phantom laughed nervously as his friend pointed at the inactive Ghost Portal._ 'Haha, whaaat?'

 _Zombie Tucker grinned. 'Your parents…couldn't work it…so…why…not?'_

'Alright, you two, you're on!' _Phantom raised his hands in mock surrender._ 'Lemme just grab the hazmat suit Mom and Dad made for me.'

 _He reached for a white jumpsuit with black gloves and boots, Jack Fenton's grinning face on the chest._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Jaaack, wasn't that Danny's suit?" Maddie's voice trembled as the puzzle pieces started coming together.

Jack couldn't answer.

He couldn't find the words.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _Zombie Sam stopped him before he went into the portal. 'Hangon…goof…you can't go…in there…wearing…your dad's face.' She pulled the sticker off and put one of her own in its place._

 _A black Danny Phantom symbol._

 _'Alright…now go for it…' She stepped back by Zombie Tucker._

 _Phantom turned and walked into the portal, apprehension in each step._

 _He lost his balance and stuck his arm out to the side, hitting something in the wall._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

As Phantom screamed in his dream, he screamed louder in reality. His back arched, his muscles tensed, and the Fenton GCU shorted out.

Green lightning sparked all over him, some of which shot out from the cage and into the lab.

Two white rings of light came into being around his waist, much to the Fenton parents' shock.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _'DANNY!!!'_

 _As the electricity died down, Phantom opened his eyes to find himself strapped to an operating table in the Fenton Lab._

 _Jack and Maddie's zombified corpses stood over him, their expressions unreadable as they reached for him with scalpels and other machinery._

 **'I'M STILL HERE! I'M STILL HERE!'**

 _Sam and Tucker's voices could be heard, screaming for them to stop, but their bodies were nowhere to be found._

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The twin rings split apart, one heading for his head and the other for his feet.

His jumpsuit gave way to Sayonara Pussycat pajamas, his gloves and boots to bare skin.

His hair went from white as snow to black as Sam's.

Maddie and Jack held in a gasp as Danny Fenton shifted in his sleep.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

'NO!' _Phantom struggled against his bonds as he melted into nothingness._ 'IT'S ME! I'M YOUR SON! MOM, DAD, PLEASE! PLEASE!'

'I'M YOUR SON!'

 **I'M STILL HERE! I'M STILL HERE! I'M STILL HERE!**

'IT'S ME!'

 **ME? MY FUTURE? ME? MY FUTURE? ME? ME? ME?**

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE OH OW AH IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSHURTSHURTSMAKEITSTOPMAKEITENDLETMEGOPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE

 **I'M INEVITABLE! I'M INEVITABLE! I'M INEVITABLE!**

I'MSOSORRYJUSTPLEASELISTENTOMEFORONCEIT'SMEI'MYOURSONIT'SDANNYPLEASE

 **THAT MEANS YOU**

I'LL NEVER TURN INTO YOU!

 **STILL TURN INTO ME!**

NEVER!

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny sat up with a scream, only to bang his head against the top of the cage.

"Wh…this isn't my bed…" Danny groaned, rubbing his head.

A choked sob from behind him got his attention, and his head whipped around so fast it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash.

Jack Fenton was on his knees, dazed, tears running down his face.

Maddie Fenton's hands were over her mouth, eyes wide and shoulders shaking.

Danny Fenton looked down at his outfit-his SP jammies, not his DP jumpsuit.

Well, crud.

"…Danny?" Maddie whispered.

He gave the two a little wave. "Heh…hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

Jack reached for the door, threw it open, and yanked his son into a bear hug.

"WHOA okay I guess we're hugging now." Danny wrapped his arms around his dad as best he could.

Footsteps from above. "Mom? Dad? Everything okay down there? I heard screaming!"

Jazz threw the door to the lab open and darted down the stairs to something she never thought she'd see.

A cage in the corner, the door nearly off its hinges.

Wide-eyed Mom and Dad, with Danny in his jammies.

All the machinery the parents had planned to use on Danny Phantom activated but unused.

Tears on the adults' faces and tension on Danny's.

Jazz gave Danny a meaningful look. "How much?"

"Heh…basically everything?" Danny forced his nerves under a smile.

"Aw, geez, we're gonna be here a while, then." Jazz sighed. Then, to their parents, "I didn't know at first either. I only found out because I was sick of wondering where Danny ran off to all the time, but I didn't tell him I knew until the CATs."

"We're…so, so sorry, Danny." Maddie forced out. "We weren't exactly giving you any reasons to tell us, were we?"

"Not really, no." He sighed. "But you couldn't have known. I never told you, so in your eyes, you were working to save Amity. And it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Maddie just pulled him from Jack's embrace ("Hey! Maddie!") and into her own, clutching him to her chest.

Things would never be the same, would they?

It didn't matter. As long as they stuck together, they could beat anything.

This time, they wouldn't keep secrets that could potentially harm anyone, even if it felt better to keep them.

The next person who laid a finger on Danny Phantom had to deal with her.

And she wouldn't be nearly so nice.

For now, though, they were together, and nothing could change that.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _EDIT: WELP THE FORMATTING WAS BEING A BUTT but i fixed it so yey_** ** _. Note to self-keep an eye on the formatting so it doesn't go haywire again._**


	3. Chapter 2: Similarites

**Similarities**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Fenton was a klutz. Maybe it wasn't entirely his fault, but ever since that week where he didn't come into school, he'd dropped things left, right, and center. He'd gotten better about it, but those first few months had been pretty hilarious to watch. It was almost as if he didn't even HAVE hands some days!

Then, while he had been klutzing around, ghosts had started attacking, and one ghost showed up to protect the town.

Phantom was a hero. He showed himself one day at the high school during the Lunch Incident to defeat the insane meat monster, and ever since then, he'd reappeared to save the day nine ways to Sunday. There were times he came close to losing, but always, always, through twists of fate or strokes of luck, always emerged the victor.

About the only things the two shared were a first name and an apparent age.

Both Dannys were roughly 14 when everything changed.

Where Fenton was a verifiable scaredy-cat, running away from even the slightest mention of ghosts, Phantom charged headlong into battle, with nary a care for his own well-being.

It was honestly quite strange, when Valerie thought about it.

She filed away those thoughts for later as her watch buzzed on her wrist. Her hand shot into the air at the same time as Fenton's, and they both called out the same question.

"May I be excused?"

Mr. Lancer sighed and gestured to the doorway, letting the two leave. They split up the moment they were out the door, Fenton running to the bathroom and Val heading around a corner, out of sight.

Ever since she'd seen Vlad Masters and Plasmius were one and the same, and once she'd accepted that Dani was both ghost and girl, she hadn't found it hard to come to the conclusion that Danny Phantom was another half-and-half. He had made it clear he truly hadn't intended to ruin her, and with a fervor to match her own, to boot!

But who was Phantom when he wasn't Phantom?

Her suit snapped into being over her body, and with a click of her heels, she shot off down the halls and out the door.

There was a roar from above her as she popped outside, and she gulped.

That was one big slime monster.

Danny Phantom was already zipping around their attacker, firing off ecto-blasts and witty quips in equal measure, driving it away from the school and the people.

"Hey, Phantom!" Valerie called out, rising to meet the monster's eye level before blasting it with her gun. "Need some help?"

"No, but I'll take it!" He rushed past her, lobbing balls of ectoplasm at the monster like grenades, complete with delayed explosion. "Although I'm surprised you're offering!"

She summoned her zapping cubes, commanding them forward to attack the slimeball in the streets. "Well, ever since that whole Plasmius biz, I figured out you prolly did mean what you said about the darn dog."

The ghost boy quirked an eyebrow at her, not stopping his attack on the monster for a second. "Really? What changed?"

Valerie opened her mouth to answer, only to cut herself off mid-inhale as the monster slapped Phantom out of the air and careening into a building. There was a puff of dust as the roof caved in, but there weren't any screams from inside, which meant it was probably abandoned, thank goodness.

"HEY SLIMY!" She yelled, whipping out a silver-and-red thermos. "I WAS FINE WITH LETTING PHANTOM TAKE YOU WHEREVER, BUT DESTROYING OUR TOWN WAS A BAD MOVE!"

She popped the lid off and aimed it square at the attacking ghost, and a black vortex shot from the mouth and grabbed hold of it, drawing it in until there was nothing left of its rampage except the building Phantom had been launched into.

Speaking of Phantom, he rocketed up into the air, debris in his hair and ice at his fingertips. "Where'd he go? What'd I miss?"

"I got him right here." Valerie gave her thermos a little shake as she screwed the lid back on. "And you got a little something right…there…" She trailed off as she actually took in Phantom's appearance.

He wasn't injured, at least, not too badly, but that wasn't what had captured her attention.

Phantom's hair was nearly black with dust and whatever had been in the ceiling of the building, and his eyes were an almost electric blue as his hands glowed the same way.

Call her crazy, but Valerie swore she knew those features.

"What, is there something on my face?" Phantom tilted his head, and the moment was gone. His eyes turned back to the ectoplasmic green they normally were and he ran a hand through his hair, dislodging anything still stuck and returning it to snowy white.

Valerie shrugged it off. "Eh, you got it already."

Before they could say anything else, the distant ringing of a school bell brought them both to reality.

Class had ended.

The two shared a nervous look, then split up, Phantom flying around a building and out of sight as Valerie swung her board around and sped back to school.

Who was Phantom when he wasn't Phantom?

Valerie had a sinking suspicion she knew the answer.

She snuck into the school building as the last gym class was walking inside, then rushed through the halls and to Mr. Lancer's classroom. She ran in and slung her bookbag over her shoulder as someone else was frantically gathering his supplies.

"Ms. Gray, Mr. Fenton, a moment, please." Lancer held up a hand to stop them both. "I hope you two aren't doing anything…untoward…when you run off?"

Valerie and Danny shared a slightly disgusted look, then turned to Lancer. As one, they protested with the universal "Ewww!"

Lancer sighed. "I suppose I'll have to accept that. Be that as it may, the two of you are beginning to slip in your studies. I expect this from Mr. Fenton, sadly, because that's how he's been ever since his accident. Ms. Gray, on the other hand, I am rather surprised."

Danny shrugged awkwardly. "When duty calls…"

At the same time, Valerie grimaced. "Sometimes my job gets out of hand."

"I believe I may have a solution." Mr. Lancer stood up after a moment's deliberation. "If the two of you can work on an extra-credit project, you can bring your grades up. Do well, and I might even be more lenient about your frequent bathroom breaks."

"You got it, sir!" Danny snapped his hand up in a salute as he beamed.

Valerie nodded, a small smile growing on her face. "We won't let you down, Mr. Lancer."

She pushed down the rising sensation of familiarity at the sentence and finished packing up.

"I would like you two to create a presentation on our next class reading, _The Most Dangerous Game_." Lancer elaborated, handing each of them a small book. "I would like to be able to use it as a lead-in next week Monday. You can make a powerpoint, a posterboard, anything that can get the themes and ideas across. And remember, I expect good work from the both of you."

Mr. Lancer smiled as his students nodded and left. He had the utmost confidence in them.

After all, if he didn't, who would?

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny and Valerie were talking about their project when they ran into Sam and Tucker.

"…so I was thinking we cou-Oh, hey, guys!" Danny's face brightened when his friends came into view.

"Hey, Danny!" Sam greeted. Then she turned to Val with a slightly forced grin. "Hi, Valerie. What're you two up to?"

Tucker flashed a grin of his own at Val, who just chuckled and shook her head before answering. "Lancer decided Danny and I should work on an extra-credit project, to make up for always rushing out of class. We were just talking about what we should do for it."

"Well, what's it about? Maybe we can help!" Tucker asked, following the others as they started walking again.

Danny laughed under his breath. "We have to make an introduction for Lancer, for when we read _The Most Dangerous Game_ next week."

Sam gave him a friendly slug to the shoulder. "Oh, do you now? What are you two planning?"

"We haven't got much yet," Valerie explained, "but we're planning on heading over to Danny's house to plot it out."

Tucker wiggled his eyebrows at Danny with a smirk while Sam tried (and failed) to hide an exasperated sigh. "Just be safe, you two. Danny's parents' inventions like him, for whatever reason. It gets annoying."

"I'll see you guys later, okay?" Danny gave his friends a thumbs-up as they left the school building.

"See ya!" Sam called over her shoulder, pushing Tucker in front of her as he kept wiggling his eyebrows.

Danny led Valerie to his house, dodging the occasional Nathan. He opened the door and told her, "Well, here's my house, now that we aren't hiding from a ghost king or anything."

Now that the place wasn't under siege by spectral tyrant…it actually didn't look any different. Valerie wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried.

"Danny, is that you?" A woman's voice drifted up from the stairs to the basement.

"Yeah, Mom!" Danny called down. "I brought a classmate over to work on a project for school, I hope you don't mind!"

Mrs. Fenton's voice sounded cheery when she replied. "Alright, dear, tonight's a fend-for-yourself night anyway! Your father and I are gonna be down here a while yet!"

"Alright, then!" Danny turned to Val. "So, we've got frozen pizzas if you want some, there's leftover Chinese takeout, and I think my mom made meatloaf. What're you gonna want for dinner?"

Valerie set her backpack down by the kitchen table, pulling a seat up to it. "Pizza's fine. Lemme just call my dad so he knows I'm here and not in some sort of trouble or something." She pulled out her phone as Danny gave her the OK sign, heading to the fridge.

 _"Valerie? Where are you?"_

"Sorry for the lack of warning, Dad." Val leaned back into the chair. "Mr. Lancer assigned me and Danny an extra credit project, so I'm at the Fentons' right now. It might take until after dinnertime for us to be done for the day, though."

 _"Alright, sweetie, just don't let the Fentons' weapons get a lock on you and your suit. Goodness knows what you'll come across as."_

Valerie chuckled. "Dad, I'll be fine. Apparently their inventions like Danny, and if they decide to be 'friendly' with me, I think I can handle it."

Danny turned from the fridge and mock glared at Val, making her crack up silently as her dad continued.

 _"Well, as long as you're sure. You come straight home once you're done, alright?"_

"No promises." Val grinned.

A sigh on the other end. _"See you at home, Val."_

"See you at home, Dad." Valerie hung up.

"So we're clear to get started?" Danny asked, closing the oven.

"Eeeyup!" Val stuck her phone into her pocket. "So, where were we?"

Danny pulled out his English notebook, flipping it open to the page he'd been on when they'd brainstormed earlier. "We were planning out what we were going to go over in our presentation."

"Alright, then…" Val started flipping through the book Mr. Lancer had given her, pointing out various passages.

As they went over the plot, Valerie snuck a look at Danny, imagining the light on his hair was its natural color, pretending his eyes were bright green.

It didn't add up to a pretty picture, in her mind.

If she was right about Phantom's human self, she was no better than General Zaroff in the short story, hunting people who could think for themselves, who were just as smart as she was, if not smarter. And for what? Some misguided attempt at revenge? To play the hero, get the glory, save the day? For an ego trip?

The beep of the oven timer jolted her from her thoughts.

"Oh, good, the pizza's done!" Danny beamed, grabbing oven mitts and pulling the circle out. "Let's let it cool for a bit, then _bon appetit_!"

When he turned back to Valerie, she was staring at him like he'd just said her dad had died.

"What, is there something on my face?" Danny asked, confused.

"You…I don't believe…" Val stammered out. "…but how?!"

Danny felt something inside him freeze up. "Val, you're kinda freaking me out here…what's going on?"

"…how long?" Her voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Hah, hah…how long what?" Danny set the pizza down on the table, pulling off his oven mitts. A nervous smile played across his face.

Valerie realized she couldn't do it. She couldn't ask him to tell her. She couldn't make him, either.

Yet she'd started the question, and now she had to finish it.

"…how long have you been…y'know…" She cast a tense glance to the stairs, where the Fenton parents were still working on whatever it is they did. "… _you know!_ "

Danny looked to the side, then nodded to himself. "Hey, Mom, me and my classmate are gonna head up to my room for a food break!"

"Okay, Danny, just don't make a mess!"

"Come on, I'll answer any questions in my room." Danny stood up and headed for the stairs, bringing the pizza with. Then, as a thought hit him, he turned back. "Just, ah…don't get too trigger-happy, please?"

"I'll try." Valerie finally conceded, pushing away from the table and following him.

They walked up to his room in silence, the burning need to know eating Val up inside.

The bedroom door clicked shut behind them, and Danny took a seat on his bed, his legs crossed. "Alright, so, what've you figured out so far?"

"Well, the pieces were there for a while, I just didn't start putting them together until earlier today." Val admitted. "When you came out of that building, your hair was almost black with debris and your ice powers made your eyes blue."

Danny cursed under his breath, but he calmed himself. "Well, you know how important secret identities are, can I trust you not to give away mine?"

"As long as you don't pull off my hood again." Val smirked. "Now, about how long you've been…"

"Remember my accident in freshman year?" Danny smiled bitterly. "I hadn't realized my parents' work could be so, heh, _shocking_."

Valerie couldn't keep herself from gasping. "No way…"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

There was a yell from where Danny and his friends stood, disrupting conversations all the way down the hall.

"WHAAAT?!"

"Calm down, Sam, it's alright!" Danny waved his hands in front of her face. "She knows, and she's on our side now!"

"How do you know that?" Sam retorted, her voice quiet but intense. "For all we know, she might be playing you until she can stick you in a thermos!"

"I'm right here, you know." Valerie sighed. "Look, I get that I haven't exactly been a happy, friendly ray of sunshine, but I've been trying to protect this town the whole time. I just…started out with a lot of misinformation, is all."

Sam didn't seem convinced, and for once, neither did Tucker. Danny groaned. "Guys, you didn't see her face when she realized she's been shooting at me the whole time. She's being honest here."

Tucker softened his glare first. "Alright, welcome to Team Phantom, I guess."

"I'm outnumbered, aren't I?" Sam grumbled, but she stuck out her hand. "Welcome aboard, please keep all heads, hands, and feet inside the ride at all times, and if you hurt Danny on purpose again we _WILL_ end you, end of discussion."

Valerie snorted and shook Sam's hand. "I think I can live with that."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

It was 5th period when her watch buzzed. Thankfully, she and Danny shared this class.

Valerie's hand shot up. "Um, Danny and I need to go get something ready for our next class. May we be excused?"

The teacher nodded and went on teaching.

Once they were outside the classroom, Danny turned to her with a grin as they sprinted down the halls. "Nice save back there. I wasn't sure I could get away with another bathroom break."

They skidded around a corner, Valerie's suit activating and Danny's body changing.

"Alright, Danny, you wanna kick some butt?" Valerie asked, smirking under her visor as they shot out of the school.

"With pleasure!" Danny punched a fist into the palm of his other hand as they turned to face their latest enemy.

"HEY METALFACE!"

"SURPRIIISE!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Skulker decided he needed to find another hobby. Hunting would always be his passion, but if the ghost child and the huntress were going to keep teaming up like this, he'd need something he could do while he waited for his suit to repair itself.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _well heck i did it again aw geez_**


	4. Chapter 3: The Worst 30 Seconds

**The Worst 30 Seconds**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Tucker grinned at the blip on his monitor. "He's coming back!"

Jazz beamed from behind him. Maybe this whole catastrophe would end up okay, after all.

There was a moment of joy as the Specter Speeder shot out of the portal. In the base, everyone cheered for their returning hero.

Then the Speeder's nose dipped.

It rocketed down, careening wildly through the air as the cheering cut off. The entire team gasped as it sped over their heads and headlong into a glacier.

Jazz, Tucker, and Sam felt something inside them plummet.

"Danny…" Jazz murmured.

Sam ran forward, pressing her face against the window. "No! He-he can't be!"

Maddie looked up at Jack. Yes, they all depended on that Phantom kid making it back, and yes, this was horribly wrong, but the way the three kids were reacting, it was as if they'd lost someone close to them.

Maddie felt something niggling at the back of her mind, something just waiting for her to find it.

Tucker's monitor beeped again, this time with a message of doom. He gulped. "It's coming!"

As the Disasteroid loomed ever closer, eclipsing the sun in a new and terrible way, Jazz's face blanched.

Wrapping an arm around his daughter and wife, Jack sighed. "Listen. I just want you all to know that…I love you, and I'm so proud of each and every one of you for trying your best."

Jazz put her hand over her dad's. "We love you, too, Dad."

"At least we're all together…" Maddie bit her lip, on the verge of outright bawling.

Jazz turned to her mother with tears in her eyes. She sniffled. "I…oh, Mom, there's something you need to know." She glanced at 'Danny.'

And that's when something clicked.

Madeline Fenton darted to 'Danny' and whipped the wig off. "A robot?! Where's Danny?!" She whirled to Jazz, her voice shooting up. "Jasmine, where's your brother?!"

Jazz cast a grief-stricken look to the remains of the Speeder, and everything fell into place.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"SOMEBODY COME QUICK!"

Jack leapt down the stairs two at a time, Maddie right behind him "Is there a ghost?!"

"WORSE!" Came the answer.

Tucker and Sam were kneeling by Danny and the smoking Portal. Between the two of them, they managed to make a somewhat understandable sentence.

"He went inside-"

"-and he-"

"-he said he wanted to-"

"-try and fix it-"

"-but he hit a button-"

"-and-"

"-and then-"

"-and then THIS!"

Danny's street clothes were still covered in dust, and his every move resulted in a big cloud of it puffing up into the air.

"Danny, why didn't you wear your hazmat suit?!" Maddie demanded, though out of worry rather than anger.

Sam and Tucker shared a knowing look as Danny coughed. "Musta…forgot…"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm heading over to Tucker's tonight!"

"But sweetie, you love it when we have my beef stew!"

"ISH DA BESH!"

"Chew with your mouth closed, dear."

"Yeah, uh, he needs help with his, um, homework and I gotta go help him work it out BYE!"

"DANNY YOU FORGOT YOUR…backpack…Where'd he go so fast?"

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"IT'S A GHOST! JACK, GET THE ECTO-GUNS!"

"Wait, Mom, Dad, what about-?"

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT GHOST BOY I'M GONNA TEAR HIM APART MOLECULE BY MOLECULE!!!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny plopped down onto the chair in the kitchen, long after his bedtime. He yawned and flipped on the TV, warming up beef stew leftovers.

 _'…and the mysterious ghost boy has disappeared once again, having defeated his technological foe. According to these numbers, while before this event, the town was heavily in favor of eliminating him and all ghosts, the tables are turning, with the townspeople evenly split on Phantom's alignment-'_

Danny groaned and turned the TV back off, reaching for his reheated stew.

Jazz walked in then, her eyes red and puffy. "Heya, little brother."

"Hi, Jazz." Danny mumbled through a mouthful of carrot and potato.

She looked to the TV, a soft smile on her face. "You did good out there, you know that, right?"

Danny made a noncommittal sound, shoving another forkful of stew in his mouth.

Jazz sighed. "Try to get some sleep before the sun comes up. I already staved off the parentals from asking why you were taking so long, I don't wanna have to explain why you didn't get any sleep."

Danny finished his broth and dumped his bowl in the sink. "…Thanks, Jazz."

"Anytime, Mister Sleepy McTiredFace." Jazz chuckled, heading back to her room.

From behind the door to the basement lab, Maddie furrowed her brow in confusion.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"But honey, if we destroy him at the molecular level, how are we supposed to dissect him?" Maddie pointed out.

Danny flinched, and Jazz patted his arm.

"But I wanna use our new weapons!" Jack grumbled.

They kept this up, but Danny eventually pushed his chair from the table and headed to grab his stuff. "I'm going to school so I'm not late."

A quick glance at the clock told Maddie that Danny had plenty of time left.

She caught the tail end of a…not so much a dirty look, but a disappointed one…from Jazz, but before she could process it, her daughter was back to shoveling down cereal.

What had they said?

…What had _she_ said?

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Maddie stepped back to admire her handiwork. A chart of all ghost sightings in the city, and which ghosts had been sighted.

It was strange. The first major ghost attack had two ghosts visible. There was the strange meat ghost, and then the ghost boy, that Danny Phantom monster. Eyewitnesses had wildly different viewpoints, what with opinions and all that, but they could all agree on the things each ghost did, if not the motivations.

The ghost boy was focused on the meat ghost for the most part, but never hesitated to shove someone away from where the meat ghost attacked. The meat ghost, on the other hand, seemed bent on wreaking havoc.

For the most part, that's how most of the sightings went. Phantom and another ghost showed up, they fought, Phantom kept humans out of imminent danger while his foes sought to put them there.

There were a few out-of-character sightings. The sudden ecto-crime spree, for example. Phantom had teamed up with some other ghosts who were later seen at that Circus Gothica, and they had robbed and pillaged for quite a while before suddenly disbanding.

It could have been some outside force making Phantom act that way.

But Phantom was, well, a phantom, a ghost, and ghosts were nothing if not selfish, unpredictable scum.

He may have saved their town from other ghosts, but he most likely had his own plans for their fair city, and Maddie was going to get to the bottom of it!

With a determined grin, she wrote down her theory and her plans for Phantom before she forgot them.

The next time she saw Danny, her Danny, he was coming back up the stairs from the basement, and he looked like he was going to hurl.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"NOOOO!" Maddie sat up in bed, eyes wide and heart pounding.

"Huh? What?" Jack sat up next, woken by his wife's scream. "Ghost?!"

Maddie forced herself to calm down. "No…no ghosts…just that nightmare again."

"The one with that creepy circus guy?" Jack asked, his face overtaken by worry.

"That's the one." Maddie nodded.

The nightmare always started out in a rollercoaster. Circus Gothica's ringmaster, 'Freakshow,' was there, except he had some superweapon or something and was changing reality.

Phantom was there, except for some reason her mind thought it was her Danny. Dreams were weird like that.

Phantom/Danny did some yelling at the Ringmaster, then flew up to the crazy rollercoaster, only to be zapped into some kind of jell-o state. The rollercoaster crashed into him, and that's always when she woke up.

Hah! Her son, Danny Phantom! As if!

The other nightmare was even weirder, truth be told!

 _"…hahahahaha…I AM YOUR BOY!"_

Why her mind liked doing that to her was beyond her, so she rolled over and went back to sleep.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Each memory piled up behind Maddie's eyes came crashing down, the pieces fitting together like a puzzle she'd been envisioning wrong the whole time.

She stared at the wreckage of the Speeder, the color draining from her face.

"JAAACK?! WHERE'S DANNY?!"

For a brief and terrible moment, Maddie and Jack Fenton could feel their hearts stop in their chests, because deep down, they knew the answer to that question. It had taken them a few years and a generous portion of words and deeds they now wished they could take back, but they finally knew what Danny always ran off to do.

"LOOK!" Sam pointed back where the Speeder had come from. "THE PORTAL!"

Maddie was the first to press her face against the glass.

There, in the sky, leading a massive group of ghosts toward the antenna, was Danny Phantom.

Seeing him up there made her realize she should have connected the dots sooner. There was almost never a time when both were seen simultaneously. Ever since the accident, Phantom had been around. Danny suddenly had a healthy fear of all things anti-ecto. Fenton, Phantom. Both were named Danny, for crying out loud!

Danny Phantom, or rather, Danny Fenton, grinned down at the celebrating humans in the base, victory in his eyes, before reaching the antenna and signalling the other ghosts to join him.

Danny grinned at one of the ghosts and spoke, though nobody heard what he said. The ghost replied with more than a little sass, but Danny just smiled wider.

The machinery operators rushed back into position as the last of the ghosts got to the antenna. Tucker led the team of overseers in checking the power levels of the ghosts and allocating it to each of the power distributors laid out all over the globe.

Maddie's team monitored the Disasteroid as its shadow covered more and more of the sky. She gave herself a little chuckle. Whatever disaster had given her son these powers had turned out for the best after all.

Jack signalled Valerie Gray, who activated the distributors and cast a glance at the ghosts outside.

Their team focused their power on the machinery, lighting the earth up like a global Christmas ornament. The green glow took over the antenna, then rushed out through the cables and around the world at record pace.

"TUCKER! HOW? MUCH?? LONGER???" The strain in Danny's voice could almost be felt in each human's muscles, almost as if they were out there with him, using their life force to power their only hope.

Tucker kept his eye on the monitor, waiting for the Disasteroid to hit that sweet spot between "save the world" and "save the ghosts' energy." The moment there was a clear shot, he yelled, "NOW!!!"

From the top of the tower, Maddie watched as Danny-her son, her boy, her hero, her prey oh goodness no she'd hunted him howcouldshe _whatkindofmother_ -disappeared from view, followed by the other ghosts.

Then the antenna vanished in chunks, and once it was completely unseen, the invisibility shot out like a splatter of paint, racing around the globe faster than anyone thought possible, even after watching the green light shoot through the power cables. There were surprised murmurs from the control tower as the humans experienced what it was like to become intangibile.

There was a beep from Tucker's monitor, signalling the completion of the worldwide intangibility.

Jack could only imagine the shouts of joy around the globe as their planet, their home, vanished as if into thin air. Jack could only imagine the power his son was pouring into that one gargantuan antenna. Jack could only imagine the things he would have been planning already had he not known who Danny Phantom really was.

Jack could only imagine what he'd have done, standing over the operating table with his son pulled apart before him.

For a tense few seconds, all that could be heard was the sounds of the ghosts pushing themselves to the limit. Then Danny screamed through grit teeth, "WHERE'S THE ASTEROID?!"

As if in answer, the sinister green space rock shot out from under them, blasting its way back into space without leaving so much as an impact crater.

As they all cheered, the ghosts pulled away from the antenna, and the world regained its substance. Maddie and Jack threw themselves into each other's arms, Sam and Jazz hugged like the sisters they now were, and Tucker heaved a sigh of relief, an exhausted smile on his face.

Maddie rushed to the door, the others not far behind. She was overtaken by Sam, Jazz, and Tucker, who all tackled Danny to the ground in overjoyed hugs, but she and Jack were right behind them.

Danny noticed the ghost he'd spoken with before and stood up to face him. "I don't know what to say other than…thanks, Skulker. To all of you."

"Don't get too mushy on us, Ghost Child." The gh-Skulker grabbed Danny by the jumpsuit, staring him down. "Remember, I'll never stop hunting you. And now that you've saved your world, you're a much more valuable prize." With that more-than-slightly-ominous message, he released Danny, shooting up into the sky.

Danny smiled softly as the rest of the ghosts followed Skulker's lead, flying up and away, disappearing into the portal before it vanished.

Jack cleared his throat, his voice slightly hostile. "Nice job, Danny…"

Danny froze for a second before facing them.

Jack went on, his voice softening. "Or should we say, Danny." The proud parent in his voice was almost palpable now.

Danny's heart skipped a beat as he put on some fake bravado and wagged a finger at them, cuz that's what you do in this situation, right? "What? Uh…Sorry, citizens, but I have no idea WHAT you're talking about…"

Maddie took hold of his finger, pushing it back down. "Isn't there's something you wanna tell us?"

Danny looked lost for a moment, but Jazz came up beside him. "It's okay, Danny." At her brother's (HER BROTHER'S! Jack berated himself for never realizing) confused look, she went on. "They know."

Danny looked around at everyone who'd come out to meet him.

Almost everyone stared back, slightly confused. "They know?" "They know" what? What was so important that their hero had to keep it a secret from all except a handful of people?

His parents were among the few who didn't harbor any confusion.

They stared back at him with parental pride in their eyes.

Danny seemed worried, then thoughtful. Then he set his face in its iconic "now or never" expression, and a white ring shot out from his waist. It split into an upper and lower ring, and as they parted, his jumpsuit gave way to a white tee and jeans. The gloves and boots disappeared, and his hair and eyes…

The one thing he'd kept from changing in front of anybody, even through the Specter Shrinker incident…

What was white became black, and what was green became blue.

Danny Fenton stood there, unmasked as the hero of Casper High, Amity Park, and now the whole world…and he seemed surprised at the rousing cheer he got once he was finished.

His parents swept him up into a hug, and the emotions they'd all been suppressing rose up.

"I'm so sorry I never told you guys…" Danny mumbled into his dad's shoulder.

"We never gave you any reason to, sweetie." Maddie cried into her son's shirt. "We actually gave you plenty of reasons not to! But…I'm just glad you're safe."

Jack nodded, too overcome to say anything.

The three held together that much tighter.

Whatever the future would bring, they would face it together, the way they should have in the beginning.

Around them, the people cheered as the reunited family wept in relief.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _This one's a bit shorter than the other two, but I'm planning on a really long one-shot to compensate._**

 ** _Really long._**

 ** _We're talking "double the length of the compilation in one shot" long._**

 ** _So uh, here you go, one more revelation fic because good grief I can't get enough of people going "holy crap im an idiot that's not a clue that's a billboard"_**


	5. Chapter 4: Phantom Signs

**Phantom Signs**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny pushed off the wall, energy at his fingertips as he rushed his foe. "Get out of here, Desiree, we don't need any of your twisted wishes!"

"Oh, but it's not about need, boy!" She reeled back to avoid the attack before shooting off one of her own. "It's about wants and desires!"

Danny dodged away and lifted the Fenton Thermos with a smirk. "Well, I wish you'd let me capture you!"

Desiree scowled as the blue cyclone of energy shot out, capturing her in its beam. "So you have wished it, yadda yadda yadda…ugh." The lid screwed shut as she made to shout something, cutting her off before she could even begin.

Danny snickered to himself, preparing to fly back home when he saw a young girl, no more than 5, looking up to him from her front yard. He sighed, floating down to her with a small smile. "You know ghosts are dangerous, right?"

She tilted her head, then raised her arms and signed, 'Miss Genie said she could let me hear.'

Danny's eyes flew open at that, and he dropped down to her eye level, curling his ghostly tail beneath him and signing back, 'She messes with wishes to make them bad, or she'll only grant them if she can get something from it. If you'd made that wish, she might've made everything sound super-loud, just because she could.'

'Well, that's not very nice!' The girl crossed her arms as soon as she finished forming the last word, an angry pout on her face.

'No, it's not.' Danny grinned, then his face fell. 'A lot of ghosts are pretty mean. Why were you out here? You could've gotten hurt!'

'You're a friendly ghost, duh!' The girl beamed. 'You'd keep me safe if something happened!'

A door opened behind her, but as engrossed in the conversation as she was, she didn't notice when light poured out from the house.

'A lot of people would say differently, you know.' Danny sighed, slowly rising up with a worried glance to the door, where her mother stood, hands to her mouth in shock. 'It means a lot that you trust me so much, though. For now, I gotta-'

The little girl jumped up, wrapping him in a hug. Danny froze, letting her pull him back down.

When she was sure Danny wasn't going to try to fly away again, the girl pulled her hands back and signed stubbornly, 'They have to be blind to not see you're a good guy, Mister Phantom.'

Danny chuckled disbelievingly. 'Please, call me Danny. "Mister Phantom" makes me feel OLD!' He drew out the sign for 'old' with a laugh.

The girl giggled with him. 'Alrighty, Danny! I'm Patty!'

'Good to meet you, Patty.' Danny shook her hand with a smile.

Patty's mother stepped forward with a small smile of her own. "Hello, Phantom."

Danny grinned sheepishly up at her, causing Patty to turn around and gasp, signing, 'HI MOM!'

Patty's mom gently picked her daughter up, brushing a stray bang from her face before turning back to the ghost boy. "I wasn't really sure what to think of you before today, Phantom."

"…And now?" Danny twisted his hands together nervously.

With a look at her daughter, happy and unharmed after being in Danny's company, she smiled warmly. "I think you're a good kid, and you'll always be welcome at our dinner table, should you want to visit again."

Danny beamed, then a blue mist floated from his mouth as he shivered.

'What's that?' Patty asked.

Danny signed as he spoke, lifting to her mother's eye level. "Ghost sense, it means I gotta jet." He grinned mischeviously before bringing his hands together, something within them flashing a bright green before they unfolded, revealing-

'That's pretty!' Patty's eyes lit up when she saw the green star charm in Danny's hands.

The charm twinkled and twirled above his hands. 'It's for you, if you want it. If a ghost tries to mess with you, this means they'll have to go through me.'

Patty gaped in awe, as did her mother. The girl's mouth rounded into an 'O' as Danny gave her the charm. He turned to Patty's mom and added, "If you don't want to have an ectoplasm crystal thing in the house, you can hold it over a candle or something and it'll just dissipate. I won't mind."

Patty's mom shook her head with a smile. "No. It's good to know someone'll keep her safe with all the ghost attacks in town. See you for dinner sometime?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do that." There was a scream in the distance, and Danny smiled. "Duty calls. See ya!" He waved a good-bye before shooting around a corner and towards another ghost fight.

'Danny's nice, right, Mommy?' Patty signed happily, slipping the charm into her pocket.

"Yeah…yeah, he's alright." Her mom looked out at where the ghost boy had vanished with a warm smile before turning back to the house. "But you're still up past your bedtime, missy!"

"Aw, Mooom!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _heh guess what doesn't wanna be written? THAT'S RIGHT THE REALLY LONG ONE!!!_**

 ** _Remind me never to mess with time and space ever again, in the meantime have a really short sweet fluffy drabblydoo with minor OCs that I think I got attached to oh geez-_**

 ** _but yeah while That One hates me, at least I've got some other bits I can work on and polish up! :D Hopefully I can get the big one out by New Years, fingers crossed!_**


	6. Chapter 5: F, P, and Someone In-Between

**Fenton, Phantom, and Someone In-Between**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Daniel, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Danny looked up at Vlad, eyes red from constantly crying for weeks. "Do I have any other choice? The world needs a hero, and…I can't be that hero if I'm grieving."

Vlad sighed. "I suppose not. This is a new procedure, however, and any number of things could go wrong."

"Just put me under." Danny muttered, stepping up to the repurposed operating table.

Vlad pulled on the Ghost Gauntlets, letting his power flow into them. "Before I do this, I want you to know…despite our constant antagonizing, these past few weeks have given me a new insight on you. I see you as my son, no longer a pawn for my own advancements. Whatever happens, I want you to remember that."

Danny strapped himself into the table and looked up at the older man. "I don't think you'll ever replace my dad, but you'll always be my uncle, Vlad."

Vlad smiled softly and placed an oxygen mask over Danny's mouth, letting him fall into a deep, anesthesia-induced sleep.

He activated the Gauntlets, reaching into Danny's very being. Something caught on the claws, and Vlad put forth all his effort into pulling it free.

There was tension, then something gave, and the elder stepped back in horror as Danny's Phantom half grimaced, impaled on the claws.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Phantom's eyes snapped open as he ripped the Gauntlets out of himself, throwing Vlad to the ground. Vlad could do nothing but stare as a malicious grin that had no business being there overtook Phantom's face.

Phantom reached down and grabbed the Gauntlets, shoving them onto his own hands and advancing on Vlad's shaken form.

On the table, Danny Fenton shifted, his eyes blinking open.

Phantom stabbed into Vlad with the Gauntlets, tearing him into his two halves. As Masters smacked into a wall, holding his head, Plasmius crumpled to the ground. Phantom dropped the Gauntlets and flew into Plasmius.

Vlad realized Danny had come to, so he set about freeing him from the table, hands shaking.

Danny could only stare in terror as the being that had been Plasmius and Phantom shook. It screamed as its skin turned a sickly blue-green, its face cracked, and its hair shot up in flames.

Something changed inside both Dannys in that moment.

Vlad finished with the restraints, yanking Danny free and running for the door, dragging the teen behind him by the arm.

The two shot a look back at the new Phantom, who began to chuckle.

They sprinted out of the mansion as it exploded, sending debris in every direction as the sound of maniacal laughter faded away.

"What have we done…" Danny's eyes followed the black and white streak in the sky as it zoomed away, down south.

Determination blazed in Vlad's eyes. "We must warn Amity Park immediately." He gripped Danny's hand and led the shell-shocked boy to a payphone, hurriedly shoving his pocket change into the slot and punching in a number as familiar to him as his wealth. "Pick up, pick up, pick up…"

"Mmm hello, Valerie Gray speaking."

"Oh, thank heavens…" Vlad sagged in relief. "He hasn't gotten to you yet."

"Mr. Masters?! He? He who? And why aren't you using the hotline?"

Vlad's voice hardened. "We haven't the time for explanations! Just get everyone under a ghost shield, the Fentons' should do nicely! I have Daniel with me, but we'll be coming shortly to explain as much as we can."

"On it, Mr. Masters!" On the other end, her suit powering up could be heard. "Can I get the short version for now?"

"No time!" Vlad forced his voice not to tremble. "Just, whatever you do, do not let anyone near Phantom. He's no longer himself."

Danny shuddered beside him, stare still as blank as it had been before the call.

"Got it! I won't let you down!" There was a click as Valerie hung up, then Vlad sagged against the payphone.

"Now what?" Danny asked, the adrenaline leaving him jumpy and fretful.

"Now…" Vlad pushed himself to his feet. "…now we make sure my portal is still working."

The two returned to the rubble of the mansion. Onlookers had shown up at the site to gawk at the ruins, but Vlad and Danny paid them no mind as they ran towards it and began digging with their hands.

Slowly, oh, so slowly, they unearthed the room they had been in for the procedure, then they hit the stairs to the lowest level.

Still intact.

The passers-by had come closer by that point, so they could hear Danny's gleeful shout as the stairway came into full view.

"Yes!" Danny turned to Vlad, determination on his own face for the first time in nearly a month. "We can get back!"

"We're going to need propulsion…and I have just the thing." Vlad's own expression turned hopeful. He led Danny down the stairs and into the lab, where the portal waited invitingly. He pulled a sheet off something big and bulky, revealing the Fenton Battle Suit. Vlad smiled bitterly. "I had planned on using this to exact vengeance on Jack, but then…well, you know. I suppose this is going to be a much better use of its power, won't it?"

Danny's face lit up. "Time's a-wastin', Fruitloop! Let's get back home!"

Vlad ran to the back of the suit. "I just need to hook something up to keep it powered without completely sucking the user dry…aha!" He fiddled with the wiring in the back panel. "Your father was a genius in his own right, but sometimes he missed the glaringly obvious. Such as…if I can make this a positive feedback loop…and if I rewire this to use ambient ecto-energy…there we go!" The suit lit up from the inside.

"Ignoring the jab at my dad, what did you just do?" Danny looked up at the dome on the top of the suit.

Vlad jumped down from his perch and wiped his hands off. "My boy, I just switched the suit from user-power to ecto-power! As long as we remain in close proximity to the Ghost Zone or a portal, it will run indefinitely, without using the person inside like a battery!"

Danny's eyes widened. "That's…brilliant!"

"Come now, Daniel, there's not a moment to waste!" Vlad clambered up to the cockpit as Danny climbed up the back, hanging on for dear life. "To Amity Park!"

The suit connected itself to Vlad, who jumped a bit at first contact before settling back into his seat and lifting his gaze to the portal.

The jets on the suit's feet activated, and without a moment to lose, Vlad and Danny shot into the Ghost Zone in a race against time and space.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"EVERYONE GO TO THE FENTONWORKS GHOST SHIELD! REPEAT, EVERYONE GO TO THE FENTONWORKS GHOST SHIELD!" Valerie yelled, her voice amplified by her suit. Her father had stayed behind to operate the ghost defenses and spread the ghost shield over as much of the city as he could. She had taken it upon herself to rouse the townspeople and escort them to safety.

"Hello, Valerie."

Val froze for a second, then whirled around to face the speaker.

He looked like Phantom…but he didn't. Where Phantom had more or less kept his humanity, this new Phantom had given it up.

Those red eyes bored into her, daring her to fight him.

"You?!" She gasped. "You look-"

"Better? Superior?" Phantom's eyes narrowed. "More ghostlike?"

"I was gonna say different, but those work." Val glared at him. "I don't know what you're planning, but someone's coming to stop you."

"Plans? Who needs plans?" Phantom cackled. His tongue snaked out of his open mouth, forked and snakelike.

With a sinking heart, Valerie realized she hadn't been dealing with a truly evil Phantom until this moment.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the last stragglers run under the shield.

"I have power!" Phantom raised his hands into the air, an ecto-blast forming at his fingertips.

Valerie grimaced under her hood. "Well, this was a nice little chat, but I have things to do." She spun her hoverboard around and shot through the ghost shield, maneuvering into Fentonworks at top speed before de-suiting.

Outside the shield, Phantom attacked, unable to break through. He roared in frustration, then took off to destroy what he could.

The townspeople shook as their hero-gone-villain unleashed his full strength on their homes.

Valerie ran to the Fentons' lab, where her dad was working the machines. "Has Mr. Masters called back?"

"Not yet, sweetie." Damon sighed. "Although how he intends on getting here with Phantom on a rampage is beyo-"

The Fenton's ghost portal was forced open from the other side.

Valerie raised her ectogun, glaring down the sights.

A robot suit shot forth, the very same robot that Phantom had taken during the Pariah Dark incident. Mr. Masters was inside, dressed in a surgeon's clothes and covered in rubble, and Danny Fenton clung to the outside, shaking debris from his hair.

"Wh-Mr. Masters? Danny?" Valerie dropped her arm. "What's going on here?"

Danny jumped down from the suit, rushing up to her. "Less talky, more defendy!" He slammed a hand down on a button on the console, and an automated version of Jack Fenton's voice came over the speakers set up all around the house.

"Fenton Family Anti-Creep Mode Activated. Today's Special Is Fudge. I Mean Pain."

Danny's fingers flew across the keyboard as Vlad slid out of the battle suit. His computer's wallpaper came up on the console, and he clicked a few files, copying and dragging them into a waiting window.

"Anti-Creep Mode Combined With Ghost Shield. Ecto-Signatures To Ignore: Red Huntress."

"Wh-" Valerie couldn't even react as a slew of ecto-weapons came out of the walls.

"Valerie, you gotta trust me!" Danny spun around to face her. "Or at the very least, fight with me!"

Valerie looked up at Danny, then behind her, to her dad, her benefactor. The two who had just arrived gave her pleading looks.

"Fine." She conceded. "But only because I get the feeling there's more to the new Phantom than meets the eye."

Danny sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Alright, so we've got you two here today to try and stop Him from destroying everything we know, but I haven't had the chance to explain how we wound up in this mess."

"Daniel, are you sure you want to..?" Vlad let his question trail off, knowing Danny could finish it in his head.

Danny snorted. "Do we have any other choice?"

The four sat on the ground as Danny began.

"As Val knows, the day of the CAT tests is the day I…lost…everyone. After that, I left for Wisconsin." Danny explained, wiping away tears that threatened to form. "And Vlad knows exactly what I mean when I say, I wasn't able to be the hero we all needed while I was there.

"I'd been defending this town for almost a year or so by that point, but my being overwhelmed by grief wasn't doing anyone any favors. So I turned to the one other person I knew who could help me."

Danny chuckled mirthlessly. "Hey, Val, you remember how I was more reclusive when high school started? It turns out getting shocked by a ghost portal really does a number on you.

"I got ghost powers, and through my struggle to control them, I realized I had to keep our town safe from all the ghosts attacking it. Sam and Tucker kept me grounded, made sure I always knew that whether I was ghost, boy, or something in-between, I always had someone to rely on. But with them gone, I made a terrible decision."

There was a screech in the distance as Phantom attempted to get inside the shield, and Danny grimaced. "And now my bad choice might cost us all our lives."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Ten years passed since that fateful day.

Danny Fenton was no longer the scrawny little teenager who had come flying from the Fenton Portal. Now he was a slightly forbidding figure. Gone were the noodle arms that couldn't bench more than 40 pounds, replaced by hardened muscles and scar tissue.

It was a hard thing for him, coming to terms with the fact of the matter: without human emotions to temper him, Phantom's power was uncontrollable.

For all that he was a fully-human hero, sometimes he had to groan at his own idiocy.

Danny set out on his patrol through the streets. Above him, the townspeople's hustle and bustle reminded him what he was protecting.

"Hi, Mister Fenton!"

He looked down to the two children who had run up to him and smiled. "Well, heya, you two!"

"Are you on patrol?" The boy asked, awestruck.

Danny laughed. "Why yes, actually. I gotta make sure everyone stays safe, after all!"

"Don't go hoggin' all the glory now, Fenton!" A woman's voice poked in.

"Woahhh, Miss Gray!" The girl's jaw fell. "You're patrolling, too!"

Valerie floated down to their eye level. "Yesiree! Somebody's gotta keep this dumbell in line!" She noogied Danny with a laugh.

"Oh, sure, laugh it up, Val." Danny grinned. "Come on, we gotta finish our rounds before your dad gets worried."

"Yeah, yeah, come on spookyboy." Val knocked him onto her hoverboard before lifting off again, saluting the kids before blasting away.

Danny rolled over, sitting on the edge of the board with his legs dangling over the side. "So, are you checking the towers?"

"Yup." Val answered, pointing at one in front of them. "Starting with that one."

She zipped around the buildings, laughing as Danny gripped the board with white knuckles. It wasn't until they landed on the service balcony of the tower that he stopped shaking.

"I hate you so much…" He grumbled, sliding from the board onto solid ground.

Valerie just laughed harder before wiping a tear from her eye and checking in on the tower.

100 percent operational.

"Alright, this tower looks to be working at peak efficiency. I just gotta check the others before I can go get lunch." Val muttered, tapping the information into her watch. "Come on, you."

"Alright, alright." Danny held his hands up in surrender. "You wanna check in with your dad first?"

"Yeah, I should do that." Valerie held up her wrist again, this time opening communications to Fenton Base. "Ghost Shield Tower 9 is completely operational, Daddy."

"Good work, sweetie." Damon's voice came over the comm. "You and Danny check the rest of the towers and come ba-"

Static cut him off.

"Daddy?"

"Mr. Gray!"

There was a dark chuckle, then two red eyes appeared onscreen.

"Hello, Valerie."

Danny bit back a gasp as Valerie glared at her watch. "You again?! I don't care how powerful you are, ghost, you can't break through the shield!"

"Until today."

Phantom began to wail, his ghostly echo overpowering any thoughts running through Val and Danny's heads. Valerie clutched her temples as Danny pushed his hands over his ears in a vain attempt to block it out, but neither could do anything when the tower began to sputter and smoke.

Valerie gasped, then grabbed Danny's shoulder and leapt from the balcony, her board in tow.

Less than a second went by before the balcony exploded behind them.

Danny stared at the destruction for a moment before gritting his teeth and pressing a button on his own suit. Two jets popped out on either side of his back and fired up. Valerie's sled rushed by, saving her from crashing into a window, and the two hunters flew up to where they could see the damage.

It wasn't pretty.

The towers on either side of the one they'd jumped from all malfunctioned in the same way, exploding from the top down.

"Oh, no…" Danny could only float there, slack-jawed, as the ghost shield shimmered to a halt, the reassuring blue glow peeling away and disappearing. The security bunkers rose from the ground, and the townspeople fled into them.

On Valerie's watch, Phantom smirked. "You like the new power? I call it my Ghostly Wail."

Danny made to say something not exactly rated-G, but was cut off by the sound of a projectile rushing closer.

The two humans snapped their faces up just in time to see a purple fireball rocket toward them. Danny managed to back away, but Valerie didn't.

"VAL!"

He rushed down to where she crash-landed, thankfully only finding a few bruises.

Val cracked her eyes open, then gasped at the sight of something over Danny's shoulder. "You?!"

Danny spun to face the ghost she stared at.

The Fright Knight hovered there, arms crossed. "Yes, me. And I serve a new master now." He raised an arm, readying another fireball.

Danny and Val shared a look, eyes narrowed in agreement.

Val pressed a button on her watch, snagging her jetsled as it flew by and following Danny back to base.

Behind them, the Nasty Burger 2 disappeared into purple flames.

Danny shot forward, neck and neck with Valerie as they avoided the Fright Knight's attacks like the plague, dodging and twisting in the air.

"Gotta get to Dad…" Valerie murmured. Danny nodded to her as the old signage he could never bring himself to take down came into view.

They each hit a switch, and with twin sonic booms, they sped to Fentonworks.

Behind them, the Knight readied another fireball, launching it at them at top speed.

The hunters split up, letting the fireball pass between them and knock the Ops Center off the house.

Danny looped back, watching as Valerie's pink trail disappeared into the house before following it.

He pushed a button on his suit as he flew down the stairs to the lab, retracting his jets and tumbling to the ground before somersaulting to his feet again. The alarm was blaring, the sirens were screaming, and Valerie was already by her father, worriedly explaining.

"…which means He can't be far behind." Val's hands shook as her eyes darted around the room. "What do we do? What do we-?"

Phantom released his Ghostly Wail again, this time shaking the house. Danny lost his balance and fell behind the consoles with a yelp.

Damon Gray looked his daughter in the eye and placed his only hand on her shoulder. "Hurry. Run!"

The alarms and sirens shuddered to a halt as something cracked the ground, pushing up from below.

No.

Not something.

Someone.

Phantom erupted from the ground, his flaming hair roaring almost as loudly as his voice. He seemed to have gotten a cape since the last time he'd been sighted, as it billowed around him.

He lowered himself to the ground and turned around.

Danny shuddered behind the console. He was Danny Fenton,

 _was danny fenton_

24-year-old ghost hunter,

 _14-year-old half-ghost hero_

and Valerie

 _and he_

and Damon

 _and vlad_

and everyone

 _couldn't stop shivering in fear_

was in terrible danger

 _and_ he _just_ couldn't _GET_ HIMSELF _TO_ MOVE!!!

"Hello, Valerie." Phanton's voice slashed through Danny's confidence, and it wasn't even directed at him.

Phantom raised an arm. "And goodbye."

He was Danny Fenton, 24-year-old ghost hunter, and Valerie and Damon and everyone was in terrible danger.

But once upon a time, he was Danny Phantom, 14-year-old half-ghost hero, and he may as well finish the job now if he wasn't going to be the hero they needed this time.

Determination filled his eyes as he pressed a button on his suit, snapping out the two jets once more.

As Phantom fired, Danny leapt from his hiding place, grabbing Damon with one hand and throwing Valerie onto her sled with the other. He clung to Damon as he and Valerie shot out of the lab, followed by Phantom's cursing.

There was an explosion behind them, and Fentonworks went up in flames.

Danny, Damon, and Val shot into the debris of what used to be a box store, catching their breath.

"Well…we're doomed." Val muttered.

Danny snorted. "I refuse to accept that."

Damon sighed. "Val's right, Danny. With Vlad off in Wisconsin, we can't exactly defend ourselves like we could if he and the robosuit were here."

Danny cursed under his breath, slamming a fist onto the remains of a wooden box. "One stupid mistake did all this, and now we can't-oh my gosh I'm an idiot." His eyes flew wide open at whatever he'd realized.

His sudden change in demeanor had the Grays more than a little concerned. Val reached for her friend. "Danny..?"

"I am such an idiot!" Danny grimaced. "All this time and…ugh why didn't I think of that?!"

"Danny, what's going on?" Damon frowned, leaning against the remains of a wall.

"If Phantom hasn't destroyed the portal yet, we may still have a chance!" Danny's eyes lit up. "We just have to get back there!"

"What're you planning, Fenton?" Val lifted an eyebrow.

Danny stood up, the way to where he needed to go still engraved in his mind after all these years. "Sam had a scrapbook. It's saved us from certain oblivion once before, and now it's gonna do it again."

Damon pushed himself up onto his feet. "Where are you going with this?"

Danny held out a hand for Valerie to take. "I'm going to find Sam's scrapbook. If it's still intact, we'll have more than a fighting chance."

"Gonna keep us in suspense?" She smirked.

"Absolutely." Danny grinned. "I'm not gonna lie, if this doesn't work, I don't want you two getting your hopes up much higher. But if it does…oh, if it does, we'll be closer to winning this war than we've ever been before."

"Alright, Danny, where to?" Damon clambered up onto Val's jetsled, clinging to his daughter as the two rose up.

Danny's smile turned sad. "The memorial. That's where I put it after the explosion."

The Grays lowered their heads with him, giving a moment of silence for the people who had so terribly lost their lives.

"Let's move." Danny broke the silence, activating his rockets once more.

The three lifted up, cast a look around for their attackers, and shot off toward the Nasty Burger's remains.

The purple statues loomed ahead.

"I'm gonna have to blast the back of the memorial, since I can't use ghost powers anymore." Danny flew up to the back side of the statue, tears welling up in his eyes at the thought of destroying the last images of his loved ones.

Valerie and Damon lowered themselves behind a piece of rubble. Val just nodded to him. "Just do what you gotta do, Danny."

He took a deep breath, looked out at the bleak landscape, and fired his ecto-gun at the statue.

Stone flew past him, and when the debris cleared, the cavity he'd left Sam's and Jazz's scrapbooks in was opened up for the world to see.

Danny reached in, grabbed onto them, and flew back to the Grays. "I've got what I need. Now, let's get back to the portal."

He slipped the two books into a compartment in Val's hoverboard and lifted off, the father and daughter following behind him.

As the ruins of Fentonworks entered their sight, they darted behind a wall and waited for Phantom to pass them by.

He didn't seem to notice them as he flew high overhead.

Danny led them quietly through the rubble, sneaking into his own home. He forced down the flashbacks as he pushed aside the wreckage, building a tunnel down to the lab.

They covered their tracks as they heard the sound of evil laughter above them, their trek into the base hidden from prying eyes.

"Okay, Danny, you'd better have a good plan here or we are all dead!" Valerie hissed.

Danny reached into the jetsled and pulled out Sam's old scrapbook. He flipped it open, and with a sigh of relief, turned it to face Val and Damon.

There were a few aged polaroid photos on the pagespread, but the one that caught their eyes was of a young Danny Fenton, holding a jumpsuit in his hands with the portal behind him.

"You can't possibly mean-" Damon cut himself off at the sound of voices above them.

Danny just nodded, turning to the portal. It was turned off, but still intact. He grinned and turned knobs on the box to the side of the portal's door, checking them against Sam's photo.

He gave Valerie the scrapbook. "If this doesn't work out, I need to know you can take care of Amity."

"What're you doing, Fenton?!" She whispered, although it was clear from her face how loud she wanted to be.

Danny turned to the portal, walking inside. "What I should've done all along!" He looked up to Val and her dad, emotion overflowing in his eyes.

"GOING GHOST!" He slammed the 'on' button with his open hand, and green lights turned on within the portal.

He shot a reassuring smile over his shoulder before the energies of the Ghost Zone ran through him, altering his DNA one more time.

Damon gasped at the light show, and Valerie took it in with wide eyes.

Danny's hair changed color from black to white, his eyes from blue to green. His suit changed from the white and red it had been when Vlad had given it to him into black and green, the circuitry pattern shimmering like true circuits. The crimson boots became neon green, the black gloves a snowy white.

He tumbled from the portal, and acidic eyes looked up to Valerie and Damon.

"Danny..?!" Valerie took a shaky step toward him.

Danny pushed himself back to his feet. "Aw yeah, this is how to be!" He smiled at the two humans. "This was my plan. Who better to take on Phantom…than Phantom?"

The voices above them rose, and the three realized they knew those voices.

"Wha-" Valerie gasped. "But they-"

"Mister Gray, stay down here for now, please." Danny instructed. Then he took Valerie's hand. "Let's go."

They rose up through the broken house invisible and intangible to stop short at what they saw.

Phantom was attacking three kids-except those kids were Sam, Tucker, and Danny.

The elder Danny set Val down, then rammed into Phantom, cutting off whatever rant he was going on this time.

"Actually, that was me. And you, too, eventu-AGH!"

The younger Danny gaped. "I am…so confused."

Sam and Tucker jumped in front of their friend. Sam snarled, "Alright, what's going on?!"

Valerie rose from her hiding place. "We were actually wondering the same thing. You two…you died!"

"What?! We're dead?! That's our future?!" Tucker yelped. "I am definitely not taking the CATs!"

Older Danny noticed the medals around each child's neck. "Clockwork? Well, that would explain it."

Young Danny shot to his feet. "Look, I don't get it! There was that evil me, and now you're a good me, and WHY ARE THERE TWO OF ME IN THE FUTURE?"

"Long story, small fry." Older Danny sighed. "Right now, you three need to head home, and whatever you do, do not let the Nasty Burger explode!"

An ecto-blast shot from where Phantom had landed, knocking the elder Danny on his side. "Aw, shut it, Fenton. You and I both know they'll be too late."

"That's what you think!" Fenton rolled onto his feet, raising an arm and firing a blast of his own. Then, to the kids, "GO!"

Danny got the hint, grabbing Tucker and Sam and dropping them off by Valerie. "Look, I can't just let them fight in good conscience. You two go back home and work on the Nasty Burger, I'll be behind you as soon as I can."

He pulled the medallions off his friends, and with a "DANG IT, DANNY!" they faded into nothingness. He noticed Valerie had as well, but forced that to the back of his mind.

"Alright, time to kick some butt." Danny turned and rushed for the battle, where Fenton and Phantom were duking it out.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"DANG IT, DANNY!"

Sam clenched and unclenched her fists, a vein threatening to pop out on her neck.

Tucker gaped like a fish out of water for a moment before sputtering incoherently.

There was a strangled gasp from behind the two, and they whirled around to see the adult Valerie go glassy-eyed at the view of present-day Amity Park.

Tucker swallowed. "Ohhh, this is not good."

"Geez, Tuck, ya think?!" Sam smacked him on the arm. "Danny-our Danny-is still in the future with good and bad versions of himself plus ten years, we've got future Valerie here in our present, and the Nasty Burger is apparently on the verge of blowing up!"

"We gotta do something!" Tucker managed.

Val shook her head, clearing away the mental fog. "Oh…oh my ghosts…"

Sam shuddered for a moment before grabbing the other two and dragging them behind her. "Come on, we have to find a way to stop this from ever having happened!"

As they reached the end of the little alleyway, Jazz stepped into view. "Hey Tucker, Sam, got a…who's that?"

"Oh, this?" Tucker stiffened up, voice cracking. "This is Vaaaaaaalllllllentina! Yeah, Valentina! We ran into her in the Nasty Burger and she said she liked cosplaying as the Red Huntress!" He chuckled nervously. "We decided to try and find the real Huntress to get her seal of approval, so that's why we're out here!"

Jazz frowned, unconvinced. "…uh-huh. Anyway, you got a second?" She stepped forward. "The correct answer is 'yes,' by the way."

Valerie sidestepped away. "I'm just gonna go…find the Red Huntress… _berightback_!" She darted around a corner, then turned her ear to the conversation behind her.

Jazz's concerned voice filtered back. "Look, I know Danny stole the answers to the CAT. That he's going to cheat!"

"Actually, Danny wasn't going to-" Sam tried to ease Jazz's mind, but the redhead wasn't having it.

"Sam, enough." Val peeked around the corner to see Jazz hold up her hand. "I know more than you think I do. _A lot more._ So I suggest when you see Danny, tell him I wanna talk to him. Tonight!" Jazz stood back, and Val pulled away. "Because if I don't, I will be talking to our parents and Mr. Lancer tomorrow."

As soon as Jazz walked past, Val sprinted back into the alleyway.

Sam frowned. "Lancer knows Danny has the answers?"

"Oh, man, is he in trouble!" Tucker grimaced.

Val's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Does Danny cheating really lead to my time?"

"Wait, wait, wait." Tucker backed up, shaking his head. "You two mean to tell me that Danny gets caught cheating on a test, and we pay for it with our lives? How is that fair?"

Sam could only shrug cluelessly at him while Val looked out at the horizon, worry tainting her being.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

This fight held no witty banter, its participants too evenly matched to think about splitting their attention between words and attacks.

When Danny joined the fray, the tide slowly began turning.

Then Phantom unleashed his Wail.

Fenton was thrown back, still unused to flight after going ten years without, and Danny barely stood his ground. As it was, he fell to his knees, clutching his head.

Phantom smirked, walking up to his younger self.

Danny made to rip his medallion off, but Phantom just picked him up by the arm. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

Fenton's head lifted as he forced himself onto his feet.

Phantom grinned and wrapped his other hand around the medal on Danny's chest. "You're not going anywhere if you can't remove your time medallion." He turned it intangible, forcing it into the boy's body until there was no way for him to reach it.

"Gh-SMALL FRY!" Fenton gasped, rushing forward only to be trapped by an ectoplasmic rope wrapping around him, rendering him immobile as Danny sagged.

"And as for you…" Phantom's smile reached his ears in the most literal way possible. "…you're staying with him and out of my way."

Fenton felt Phantom's finger press up against his forehead, and then…

…he fell into the darkness of sleep.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Fenton came back to reality to the sensation of someone struggling.

"…wha…" He swallowed away the dryness in his throat and tried again. "…what happened?"

He blinked his eyes open to find himself tied to his younger self, who must have been the one whose struggling had woken him up. He held back a gasp of surprise when he realized the both of them were in human form again.

"I could ask you that…" Danny murmured, staring at the ruined statue before him. "Gone but not forgotten…"

"Oh, you're both up." Phantom's deep voice caught their attention, and they looked up to find their captor leaning against the wreckage of the old Nasty Burger. "Fantastic."

"What do you want, Phantom?" The venom in Fenton's voice shocked the younger Danny. What had caused such a rift in himself?

"Well, for starters, I figured I'd tell Mister Hero here how a massive fireball of highly combustible condiments can…" A smirk grew on Phantom's face as he gestured to the ruins of the old restaurant. "… _ruin his whole future._ " He glared at Fenton. "Although how you regained ghost powers is a mystery to me."

Danny grimaced. "The time medallion-?"

"Fused inside you. Nice, huh?" Phantom sneered. "Intangible and unreachable whether you're ghost or human, which means you can't go back in time." He raised a hand into the air, creating a portal into the Ghost Zone with nothing but his own raw power.

Fenton leveled a glare at his ghost. "And what gives you the idea that we'll let you get away with this?"

"I'll never turn into you!" Danny yelled in defiance. "Never!"

"Of course you will." Phantom chuckled darkly, a tainted white ring shooting around his waist and splitting, transforming him into an identical clone of Danny. "It's only a matter of time."

Danny and Fenton struggled against their bonds, but Phantom merely chucked them into the portal, closing it behind them.

"Ghhh, I can't break free!" Danny grumbled. "Should we go ghost?"

"We kinda have to at this point, I think." Fenton agreed. "Unless you want to be stuck floating aimlessly through the ghost zone for eternity."

"As if!" Danny rolled his eyes at the thought.

"GOING GHOST!"

The two half-ghosts fought their bindings, only to freeze up at a voice from behind them.

"Well, well, well." The ghost lifted an eyebrow at the two floating towards him. "All this time, we've been planning how we'd take the fight to you, and here you are, wrapped up like a present."

Danny's eyes widened as Fenton's squinted, the two asking the same question. "Box Ghost?"

His chubby, goofy demeanor was gone, replaced by a truly menacing visage. An eye missing, muscles bulging, his hand switched out for a hook. He glared down at the two half-ghosts coldly. "Beware…"

Fenton propelled them away from the Box Ghost, only to bump into-

"Ember?!" Again, both Dannys gaped at the completely changed ghost. Where she'd once been pop idol and teen star, now she looked like a middle-aged woman who spent way too much time on the couch.

Danny tried to salvage the situation. "You look-"

"Like I went to seed right after you destroyed my vocal cords _with that Ghostly Wail of yours?!_ " Ember cut him off with a voice-cracking scream.

"I was gonna say statuesque, but, uh-" This time Danny pushed them back from the attack, but they hit a wheelchair.

Danny and Fenton both gulped at Johnny's expression. Fenton took the initiative. "Before you lay into us, 13, we aren't the ones who-"

"Been waiting a long time for this." Johnny's blanket rose up and revealed itself as Shadow.

"Wait!" Danny yelped.

Fenton cast glares at the ghosts around them. "There's time travel involved here, guys! We're trying to stop you-know-who but we can't DO THAT IF YOU'RE WAILING ON US!!!"

Skulker huffed, crossing the arms of the Skulktech suit. "Oh, stop. You're responsible for the horrible things that happened to your world and ours."

"To everyone you've come in contact with!" Technus added from his place in the suit.

"Your friends, your family, and most importantly, us!" Ember growled.

Danny gulped. "But I didn't do any of that! It wasn't me!"

Fenton joined in. "It wasn't either of us! …of me!"

Kitty chuckled darkly. "You expect us to believe you? ' _Time-travel is involved!_ ' Not since Clockwork's disappearance, it's not!"

The ghosts advanced.

"Get away…" Danny grit his teeth. "Get away!"

"Leave us alone…" Fenton tensed up. "Leave us alone!"

"GET _AWAAAAAY!!!_ "

"LEAVE US _ALOOOOONE!!!_ "

The two Dannys' screams shot up in volume and power, blasting their attackers away with the force of the fearsome Ghostly Wail.

Danny's hair and eyes reverted to their human colors from exhaustion, and Fenton didn't fare much better. Their bindings, at least, dissipated.

"You…" Fenton heaved for air. "…you alright, small fry?"

"Aside from going through evil puberty?" Danny grunted, pulling himself back together. "I think so. My stupid future keeps smacking me in the face! …no offense."

As if to be ironic, something beaned Danny in the back of the head. Fenton chuckled. "None taken, and it looks like our past is hitting you from behind."

"Hah, hah." Danny rolled his eyes at his elder, grabbing the object. "Very funny." He held it up to his face. "A note?"

"That headband…" Fenton seemed dazed, reaching for the blue cloth before it could drift away.

Danny read it, then folded it up and stuck it into his pocket. "I guess we're off to Wisconsin. Plasmius's portal is apparently still operational."

Fenton shook himself back to reality. "Well, while we head over there, I figure I should probably fill you in on what happened between your present and mine."

"I'm all ears." Danny set off to find Vlad's entrance.

"It's not a pretty story, but hopefully you can get your questions answered." Fenton sighed, following. "It started with the CAT test answers…"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"…so I think that's how this whole convoluted mess happened." Val explained, leaning against the wall of Fentonworks.

After a moment, Tucker managed a quiet, "Woah, dude."

"That's…I don't know what to say to that." Sam murmured.

Val took a deep breath, then pushed herself upright. "Well, the boiler's set to go off at 5:12 the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, so if we get the heating element in the oven turned off before tomorrow night, the sauce should cool down and we'll avert the crisis."

"Let's get to it, then!" Tucker declared, running off to the Nasty Burger.

"Go catch him before he makes a fool of himself?" Sam quirked an eyebrow up at the woman beside her.

"Go catch him before he makes a fool of himself." Val chuckled. The girls ran off to keep Tucker in check, only for all three to skid to a stop as a blue ball of light warped reality beside the restaurant.

"That might be Danny!" Sam gasped.

"I think it is!" Tucker beamed, dashing for the alleyway.

They sprinted toward the restaurant, screeching to a halt as Danny pulled away from the busted wall into the kitchen.

"DANNY!"

Danny spun around in surprise as _Sam_ , _hates-human-contact-Sam_ , tackled him in a joyful hug. Tucker and Val stepped up behind her, both grinning.

Sam jumped back with a matching smile on her face. "You're back!"

Tuck pulled his friend into another hug before stepping away. "Did you beat that evil, jerky, pus-packed alternative version of yourself?"

Val closed her eyes with a snort. "Can't forget megalomaniacal."

Danny gave them a dark laugh. "Always with the quips. In my weaker moments, I sometimes miss your droll sense of humor."

Tucker and Sam shared a confused look as Val's gaze turned sharp. "I'm…sorry?"

Danny snickered, banishing the sinister look from his face. "Haha, I'm just kidding! I beat my future self quite easily! Had you guys going there for a second, didn't I?"

Val frowned, but let her expression soften. "Well, we still need to keep this place from exploding, right?"

Danny held up a hand. "Already done! Now, who's up for…" He muttered to himself before getting an idea. "…playing video games and raging against the machine?"

Sam and Tucker both beamed at him. "We're in!"

Valerie waved them off. "You kids go do that. I kinda wanna get one last look at this town from before it got demolished."

"You sure?" Danny's grin seemed slightly forced as he turned to her. "It's been, what, a decade for you since you could just take some time off? Relax, we're in my present now! No evil futures, no armageddons…" He trailed off, smiling wider.

"Ehhh…" Val grimaced for a moment before shaking her head. "I'd rather just get some alone time, just me, my board, and the sky."

"Suit yourself!" Tucker beamed before Danny could try harder to convince her. "We'll be working on one of those medallions at some point, too. That way you can get back, if you want."

"Enough talking, I wanna kick your butts!" Sam laughed, dragging her two friends away.

Val slumped as soon as they left. She actually didn't have her board with her-it had gotten left in the future when she'd been accidentally whisked away. Regardless, it gave her a good excuse to keep watch over the Nasty Burger and make sure nobody messed with it.

Speaking of…

Val turned back toward the hole in the wall and ran to the kitchen-and the boiler.

The temperature gauge was still climbing.

Val clenched her fists. That hadn't been Danny-it was Phantom! And knowing him, he was gonna plan some big, dramatic reveal, before which he'd make sure everything was going the way he wanted.

…which meant she couldn't fix the boiler until Phantom was taken care of.

She felt the blood drain from her face at that. Phantom was loose, and he was with two of the people who needed to die for him to exist!

Fine. He wanted to play dirty? Then so would she.

She couldn't go to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, they were too trigger-happy. Mr. Lancer was a middle-aged teacher, so he was another no-go. But Jazz…

Jazz cared about her brother, and if Val remembered correctly, she was one of Phantom's supporters before she died. If anyone could help her, she could.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The next day, Val watched as Phantom left Fentonworks, walking towards the school.

He probably wanted to relish in his 'victory' or something.

The moment he was out of sight, she ran to the alleyway beside the building, scaling it and flipping into Jazz's room, where she lay in bed, frowning in her sleep.

Val crept to her bedside, shrugging off the embarrassment of sneaking into someone's room as they slept, and poked her awake.

"Gh-?!" Jazz's eyes flew open as she opened her mouth to scream, only for Val's hand to come down over it.

"SHHH, not so loud!" Val whispered, urgency in her tone. "We have a situation!"

Jazz forced Val's hand away, looking her up and down before groaning. "Yesterday wasn't a dream, was it?"

"If 'yesterday' involved running into me, then no." Val frowned.

"Then that means-" Jazz paled before scowling. "I'll meet you in the lab in just a few minutes. There's time-travel involved, but Danny's in the future, so-" She jumped from bed and ran down the stairs, calling for her parents.

Val shrugged and followed her, slipping into the Fenton Lab while the other adults weren't looking.

Jazz came sprinting down the steps a few moments later with some kind of high-tech boomerang in her hand. "Help me find a pen and paper!"

Val blinked, but did as she said, holding them up for a split second before Jazz snatched them, hurriedly scribbling something down. She whipped her headband off, using it to secure her note to the boomerang, and ran up to the portal.

"I need you to find Danny!" Jazz told the piece of tech. "Fourteen-year-old Danny! Ten years from now!" She wound back and launched the message into the ghost zone, where it disappeared from their view.

Val blinked. "So I'm guessing you figured it out?"

"Thaaat my brother is Danny Phantom, but now there's an evil future Danny that's taken his place, which means you're really future Valerie and not just a Red Huntress cosplayer?" Jazz smirked. "I'm not as oblivious as I like to pretend." She dropped the smile and grabbed a device from one of the tables in the lab. "Now come on, we need to stop him!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Val grinned, snagging a helmet for herself and following Jazz as she ran up the steps and out the front door.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Damon turned to Vlad. "We've got incoming."

Vlad swept his hair to the side, having long since forgone his old ponytail to let it hang loose. "How many?"

"Two." Damon looked back to the screen.

There was a flash of light as two people tumbled from the portal, white hair laying flat on both of their heads.

They rolled over, both blinking open bright green eyes, not the scarlet the humans had feared.

"You, Vlad, are as subtle as a flying mallet." Danny groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Fenton stood up behind him, stretching. "You still got those Gauntlets, right?"

Vlad blinked.

Then he blinked again.

He held up his hands in confusion.

"Daniel, what am I looking at?"

Fenton sighed. "You're looking at me, having regained ghost powers as a last-ditch effort to stop Him, and you're looking at a past version of me, unable to get back to his time because He lodged a time medallion inside his chest."

Vlad groaned. "And here I thought you were done being a confusing little badger."

"Love ya too, Uncle Fruitloop." Fenton grinned. "Seriously though, Gauntlets. Got 'em?"

Damon held up a pair of bulky metal gloves. "You mean these things?"

"Those're the ones!" Fenton nodded.

Danny explained. "This version of me filled me in on the way over here on how all _thiiiiis_ happened." He waved his arms around, gesturing to everything. "So I figured, if you could reach into me and rip my ghost and human halves apart, which, by the way, sounds _totally gross_ , you can get the medallion out, too!"

"That way the small fry can pop back to his own time and stop this mess." Fenton finished.

"It's worth a shot, I suppose." Vlad muttered, pulling the dreaded Ghost Gauntlets back on.

"By the way, have you two seen Valerie?" Damon asked. "She went up to investigate the voices, which was probably you-" he nodded to Danny "-but I haven't seen her since. I actually had to use the portal and get to Vlad's before Phantom noticed me."

Fenton shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Danny blanched. "I think she might be back in my present."

"What?! How?!" Damon gasped.

"Well, when I first came here, my friends had come with, but I made them go home by taking their medallions off." Danny explained, wringing his hands. "I noticed Valerie had disappeared with them, but I didn't have time to think about it because there was a three-way Danny Fight going on."

"Well, I'm going with you." Damon declared. "If you're going back to your present, and if my daughter is there, I want to see her again. Besides, she left her jetsled, and it's probably driving her nuts."

Fenton ruffled Danny's hair. "I'm coming, too. If I know Phantom, he's gonna do everything in his power to make this future set in stone. You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

Vlad cleared his throat. "I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I am most certainly joining you. When Phantom makes his move, you'll need all the backup you can get." He pointed to the slightly beat-up Fenton Battle Suit. "And with that thing's new upgrades, we won't need to stay near the Ghost Zone to keep it powered up."

Danny looked up at the faces of the three men and smiled. "Thank you. For everything."

Vlad pulled himself into the old suit while Damon clutched his daughter's jetsled to his chest. "Are you ready, young Daniel?"

"As I'll ever be." Danny set his face in preparation. "We'll want to stay physically connected for this, so if you two-" he pointed to Damon and Fenton "-want to sit on the shoulders of the Battle Suit, and if Vlad wants to sit in the cockpit, I'll float in front and keep a grip on the edge. That way we should all make it back."

"Let's do it." Fenton nodded.

The Gauntlets lit up the room.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The girls ran into the school, sprinting past the occasional teacher as Jazz grunted directions.

"Left!"

"Right!"

"First door around this corner!"

They skidded to a stop in front of the testing room, peering in to check Danny for any signs of being the wrong one.

He looked down at something in his lap with a small smirk before he noticed the two spying on him. He frowned, but stayed in his seat.

"That's the evil one, alright." Jazz pursed her lips, thumbing a button on the Peeler.

Val made to respond, but both of them felt an invisible hand on their shoulders before everything went dark.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Sam's scream pierced the air. "YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

The three Fentons (and Lancer) whirled around as two figures ran up to them.

Sam and Tucker sprinted into the light from the GAV, gasping slightly for breath.

Tucker yelled, "The Nasty Burger's gonna blow! AND WE'RE THREE FEET FROM IT!"

"South Beach Diet, people, what's going on here?" Mr. Lancer demanded.

The thunk of a heavy footfall drew everyone's attention to the two women decked out in…the Fentons' anti-ghost gear?

The one in red declared, "We'll tell you what's going on!"

Jazz's voice came from within a Fenton Peeler. "Or better yet, show you!" She blasted at Phantom, peeling away his human guise and dropping him to the ground. "That's not Danny!"

"At least, not yours!" The Red Huntress added.

The Fenton parents sprung into action, leveling ghost guns at the imposter. Jack forced his voice to stay controlled. "Where is he? Where is our son?"

"What have you done to our boy?" Maddie growled.

"Hahahahaha, I AM YOUR BOY!" The ghost cackled, rising up into the air as the wind kicked up. "What kind of parents are you, anyways? The world's leading ghost experts and you couldn't figure out your own son was half ghost!"

Jack gulped, then tried to lighten the situation. Turning to Maddie, he stated, "For the record, I blame you."

"Hello? Danny FENTON? Danny PHANTOM? Ever notice the similarity?" Phantom smirked. "Jazz did."

Sam and Tucker stared at each other, then at Jazz. "She did?!"

"LIAR!" Jack yelled. "DON'T MOVE!"

"Actually, nobody's going anywhere." Phantom's malicious smile widened as he gagged everyone with ectoplasm. "Not until it's time for you to be blown everywhere." He tied them up with the same sort of ecto-rope he'd used on the Dannys, flinging them against the overheating sauce boiler.

Jazz made to punch him in the back, but he just made a hole in his form. When she pulled back, he let his chest reshape itself. "Nice try, Jazz, but me? My future?" He turned his head around 180 degrees before letting the rest of his body twist around to face her. "I'm inevitable." He summoned two duplicates of himself, one to remove her helmet and one to gag her when she screamed.

Combining into himself again, he wrapped Jazz up in another ecto-rope and threw her next to his other captives.

The Huntress glared up at him, wishing looks could kill so she could take him out right then and there.

He cackled at their fear-filled faces before he heard four voices he hadn't expected.

"HEY EGO TRIP!"

Everyone's eyes snapped up to the approaching group of people.

One looked like an older Danny, but significantly less evil than the one they were dealing with. One looked like an old, haggard Vlad Masters. One looked like an aged Mr. Gray, only without an arm.

And one looked like the Danny they all knew and loved.

Or loathed, in Phantom's case.

"READY FOR A BLAST FROM YOUR PAST?"

Damon leapt from the beaten-up Battle Suit, riding the jetsled down to where his daughter stood. Vlad flew the Battle Suit to where the people were, pulling at their restraints.

The two Dannys grinned and slugged Phantom, knocking him out of view for the moment.

They rushed down to the Nasty Burger, where Vlad's struggle with the ecto-rope was becoming more than a bit worrying. Danny looked each of his loved ones in the eyes. "Don't worry. I won't turn into that. Ever. I promise." He caught Mr. Lancer's frightened gaze and snorted. "I guess this sorta explains my periodic absences, huh?" He was cut off by an ecto-rope wrapping around his midsection.

Below them, Valerie's dad had rushed forward, joining Vlad in his search for a weak spot in the bindings. Valerie herself had flown up to Fenton, and the two rushed to attack Phantom.

"Hah! What're you gonna do? Waste me?" Danny taunted. "What happens to you then?"

Fenton and Val blasted Phantom, making him drop the ecto-rope and free Danny. He snarled, "You don't get it, do you? I'M STILL HERE! I still exist! That means you…" He blasted at Val, who just swooped away. "…still turn into me."

"Ah, shut it, Phantom." Fenton glared. "You really need to learn when to quit when you're ahead."

"Or just not play. That's always an option." Val added.

Danny reached into the backpack he'd been given before they came to the present, leaping higher into the air. "You're a disgrace to the family name!"

"Please. I'm at least smart enough to plan ahead." Phantom fired at Danny, knocking him against a flagpole. "I don't have to waste you, you know. As long as I can run out the clock, your family falls apart with or without me!"

Fenton took that moment to sock Phantom in the jaw as he flew by. "Not on our watch!"

"And you!" Phantom scoffed, turning to face Fenton. "You can't make up your mind, can you? You went through all the trouble of splitting us apart, and now, out of the blue, you decide to, what? 'Regain what you lost?'" He launched an ecto-ball at his half-human counterpart. "Hah! Don't make me laugh!"

Fenton dodged the attack, then yelled down to the ghost, "Well, MAYBE I wouldn't have had to DO THIS if SOMEBODY had just STUCK TO BEING THE HERO THE WORLD NEEDED!"

"Face it, Phantom! We have you cornered!" Valerie declared, shooting at him with her ecto-rifle.

"Do you, now?" Phantom smirked, duplicating himself into five. "Because it seems to me that you're the ones who are cornered."

"Please tell me you can do that." Danny muttered out the side of his mouth.

"Sorry, small fry, I got nothing." Fenton whispered back.

The copies split up until one was facing Valerie and two each faced the halfas.

Danny ground his teeth, glaring at the Phantoms as he dodged the attacks. "Maybe if you'd remembered more about your family, you'd have remembered the Specter Deflecter!" He rushed the original and snapped the belt around his waist, flipping it on and shocking Phantom so badly his duplicates vanished.

Fenton flew in, his hands in the dreaded metal gloves. "Or maybe the Ghost Gauntlets? You remember these?!" He sucker-punched Phantom in the gut, knocking the wind from his chest.

Phantom tumbled back, crashing into an oil truck which had been abandoned once the ghostly battle had begun.

Valerie blasted him with her weapons, screaming over her shoulder. "GO SAVE YOUR FRIENDS, KIDDO! I'LL KEEP THIS GUY BUSY!"

Danny nodded and shot back to the Nasty Burger, where Vlad and Damon had resorted to trying to move the entire boiler. Fenton flew up next to Val and added his ecto-blasts to the constant attack.

"Still no luck?" Danny landed, running up to them and helping them shift the boiler away from the oven.

Damon grunted from the effort of pushing the boiler. "None. We tried unplugging the heating element of this stove, but we couldn't find the wall socket in all this rubble."

Vlad looked down at Danny. "I don't suppose you could take care of their bindings?"

Danny locked eyes with his friends and family. "I can try."

He reached for the ecto-rope and pulled. It felt like his own ectoplasm, but different. It made sense, but if he could just take it under his own control-

Jazz's rope and gag disappeared.

"Gh-Danny!" Jazz yelled. "Behind you!"

Danny spun around only to find Phantom there, lifting him by the jumpsuit and slamming him into the ground. "What? You're trying to save them?" Phantom grinned. "They're doomed anyway. What makes you think you can change my past?"

Fenton and Valerie shot into view, taking position on either side of Danny as he picked himself up. "Because I promised my family!"

"And I'm going to fix my mistake!" Fenton declared.

"And I have a job to do." Valerie looked down her scope at Phantom.

"Hah! Hahaha!" Phantom wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "You are such children! You promised? Fixing a mistake? Doing your job?!"

The two halfas shared The Look, then glared at their evil counterpart.

"YES! WE! PROMIIIIIIISED!"

Their Ghostly Wail knocked Phantom backwards onto his rear end, and he stared at them in shock. "What? How?! I don't get that power until-"

"Ten years from now?" Valerie smirked, cocking her gun and raising an eyebrow.

Fenton snickered, his hands on his knees. "Maybe, just maybe, the future…"

"…isn't as set in stone as you think it is." Danny finished. He took a deep breath and Wailed in Phantom's face, forcing him into a building as it collapsed.

Danny's knees buckled as he reverted to his human self, gasping and coughing for air.

Phantom forced himself back onto his feet, definitely the worse for wear. "Well, that's it, isn't it?"

Danny mustered up one last glare, swinging the Fenton Thermos up to point at Phantom. "Time's up!"

As he disappeared into the Thermos, Phantom yelled out one last desperate threat. " _Too weak to escape! And you're too late to save them!_ "

The moment he got the lid on the Thermos, Danny spun around in horror to face the Nasty Burger.

Vlad, Damon, and Jazz had resorted to trying to pull the rest of the captives from between the boiler and the ecto-rope, but the heat monitor was overloaded.

"Hang on, kiddo!" Valerie grabbed him as she flew by, followed by Fenton. "Try and do your ghost thing! I think that's their only chance!"

He knelt on the hoverboard, clenching his fists and screwing his eyes shut, willing himself to change.

A white ring popped into existence only to fizzle away.

"I-I-I CAN'T!" Danny looked up at his friends and family, the fear in their eyes reflected in his.

Valerie locked eyes with her dad. "DADDYYYYY!"

Danny leapt forward, off the board, screaming for lack of anything else to try.

" _NOOOOO!_ "

There was a flash of light and a shockwave, knocking Danny backwards through the air as he made a very human wail.

Suddenly there was silence.

Danny opened his eyes to find himself floating, his feet over his head. With a yelp, he righted himself.

He looked down at his chest to find a time medallion hanging from it.

There were a few other people floating beside him-namely, the good future him and Val.

"Heya, small fry." Fenton grinned.

"Wha-what happened?" Danny patted himself down frantically, making sure he was still in one piece. "The-the Nasty Burger-!"

"-is frozen in time with the rest of the world."

Danny spun around to face the voice, only to gape. "Clockwork?"

The timekeeper smiled warmly at him. "The one and only."

Val put a hand on Danny's shoulder with a snicker. "He woke me up first, then…uhhh…the you I've been working with this past decade. Geez, time travel makes this complicated…"

"And, over here, have a look." Fenton came up on Danny's other side and pointed to the Nasty Burger.

When Danny's gaze landed on the people he'd tried to save, his eyes lit up. "You saved them, Clockwork? I…I don't understand!"

Clockwork took Danny's hand, leading the trio up above the frozen mushroom cloud as he explained. "The Observants look at time like they're watching a parade: one thing after another, passing in sequence right in front of them." He let go and swept his arm towards the restaurant. "I see the parade from above, all the twists and turns it might…" At this, he smiled to Val and Fenton, then winked at Danny. "…or might _not_ take."

Danny let out a laugh of disbelief. "You knew all this was going to happen! All of it! Even this part!" He stuck his arms out in front of him before gesturing all around him.

"Everything's the way it's supposed to be." Clockwork affirmed. "And here we are with you, a fourteen-year-old child, risking everything to save the people you care about."

Val frowned down at the Nasty Burger, then looked up at Clockwork. "So…what happens to us?"

Fenton realized what she meant with a gasp. "Dang, that's right! By saving my friends and family, our future doesn't really exist now, does it?"

Clockwork chuckled. "After everything that's happened today, it would be quite a paradox if you and the roles you've played were to simply vanish."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny's forehead scrunched up in thought.

"Now, where would the fun be if I told you outright?" Clockwork beamed.

Fenton sighed, but let his lips twitch upward. "Alright, fine, don't say."

Clockwork tapped the top of his staff and spoke, his voice ringing across reality. "Time in!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The girls ran into the school, sprinting past the occasional teacher as Jazz grunted directions.

"Left!"

"Right!"

"First door around this corner!"

They skidded to a stop in front of the testing room, peering in to check Danny for any signs of being the wrong one.

Val blinked, stumbling against the wall as someone else's memories came flooding in-or was she reorienting herself to the hallway after floating in the space between seconds?

Danny was standing in the middle of the room, holding a folder with wide eyes. He glanced around the room, catching his friends' eyes before noticing Val and Jazz outside the door. He smiled reassuringly at them before jumping at something and walking nervously to Mr. Lancer's desk.

Jazz blinked, then turned to Val. "That's not the evil one."

"No." Val smiled. "No it's not."

As they watched Danny confess to Mr. Lancer, they backed from the door, only to hit an older man.

"Oh, sorry sir-Daddy?" Val gasped before wrapping the gray-haired Damon Gray in a hug.

"Valerie! You're alright!" He reached up with his arm and returned the hug with as much strength as he could muster.

"Uhhh, did more time-travel stuff happen again?" Jazz snickered.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Highschool Me sees us." Val grinned, wrapping her arms around the two others and walking back outside the school.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Vlad blinked.

Not half a second ago, he'd been sending the younger Daniel a fearful gaze beside the Nasty Burger, and now he was…standing outside the high school?

"Oh, butter biscuits." He sat the Battle Suit down next to the entrance, only for Val, Damon, and young Jasmine to step outside.

"-so I'm not entirely sure what-oh, heya, Mr. Masters!" Val grinned. "Looks like we did it!"

Jasmine frowned suspiciously at him before sighing. "I guess you helped out during…the loop in time that won't happen now? I dunno, I don't remember anything, but these two do."

"I did help a little, yes." Vlad conceded. "And, on behalf of my past self, I would like to apologize. I'm fairly certain your brother also remembers what happened, and I highly doubt it would be wise for me to speak directly to your parents, so I'll say it to you instead. I am deeply sorry."

Jasmine blinked before smiling uncertainly. "Well, uhhh…apology accepted, I guess? I'm not sure. I'm gonna go check on Danny, actually, he should be coming out any minute now."

As if on cue, Daniel stepped outside, only to gape at the gathering on the front steps.

"Well, I think we oughta go actually keep the Nasty Burger from blowing up." Val grabbed the Battle Suit's arm, dragging Vlad and her father down the street. "We'll catch up with ya later, alright?"

"We're not just stopping the explosion, are we?" Damon quirked an eyebrow at his daughter.

"Nope!" She snickered. "We're also giving those two that brother-sister time they need!"

Vlad looked over his shoulder as they left, something inside his chest lifting for the first time in a decade.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny grinned at them before plopping down on the steps. "So, how long have you known?"

"About the test?" Jazz asked. "For days. But I'm really proud of you for not cheating."

"No, not that." Danny snickered. To his side, he spoke, "Come on out." Then, back to Jazz, taking the aged strip of fabric from Fenton as he shimmered into view, "Your headband, your note, your handwriting…"

Jazz gaped like a fish at the elder Danny. "I-buh-wha-but he-but I-!" She took a breath and shook her head, sitting beside her brother. "Since the Spectra thing. I didn't want to tell you until you were ready to tell me. It's your secret."

"Well, it's our secret now." Danny beamed, pulling her into a hug.

When they separated, Jazz smirked. "Don't think this means I'll stop being meddling and overprotective." Then she looked up at the young man beside them. "And I hope you're up to a whole bunch of questions, mister!"

Both of her brother chuckled, speaking together. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

A blue wisp of air floated from both Dannys' mouths as a green gloop monster raced past, police on its trail.

Danny stared after it for a moment, almost trying to reconcile the fact that it wasn't an evil version of himself, only for Jazz to snap him out of it by laying a hand in his shoulder. "Go."

Danny smiled before running off, but Jazz's other hand found its way onto Fenton's shoulder, holding him there. "Not you, at least not yet. For one thing, I'm not sure how Amity would react to two Danny Phantoms, and for another, you look like an older Danny, but not like Mr. Grew-Out-Of-It. _Spill_."

Fenton snickered. "Wouldn't you rather duck?"

"What do you-" Jazz turned around, only to see Danny slam a fist into the giant gloop, splattering it all over the street-and the two onlookers.

Jazz wiped some ectoplasm from her face. "This is gonna take some getting used to."

Fenton phased the two of them clean with a warm grin. "Agreed."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Clockwork watched as the Observants left his domain, then turned back to his viewer, where he could see Jazz talking to the older form of her brother. The two shared a hug of their own before Danny himself floated back over, prompting them to discuss what they would do about the refugees from the future.

Clockwork waved his staff, and the image changed to show those very same refugees moving rubble, keeping their faces hidden from curious passers-by as they slowly but surely put an end to all timelines where the Nasty Burger exploded due to negligence during the CAT.

He smiled to himself. "Everything is the way it's supposed to be."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _this is why you should never expect me to leave anything alone ever_**

 ** _why?_**

 ** _because ALL THIS happened because of a quote from a friggin veggietales video_**

 ** _"Larryboy, what are you doing?"_**

 ** _"What I should've done all along! Super-suction ears…AWAY!"_**

 ** _im tired and sleepy and i know the different POV-breaks aren't all lined up properly but there's wibbly-wobbly timey wimey so i don't care, it works, i wrote them at different times and they still mostly fit, so there_**

 ** _it's almost tomorrow and i finally squeezed the last few sections out. i'm done…for now_**


	7. Chapter 6: Away And Back Again

**_A continuation of ImpudentMiscegenation's "Run," chapter 7 of "Bits and Pieces"_**

 ** _(put the titles together and get "Run Away and Back Again" eyyy)_**

 ** _I'm starting off with the last part of "Run," so people who've read it can kinda get back into the zone, but for those who haven't…_**

 ** _SPOILER ALERT BUT I MEAN IDK WHAT ELSE YOU EXPECTED_**

 ** _It's Angst Central. Guys in White did a thing and Danny unwillingly transforms in front of the entire population of Amity Park, and the GiW try to shoot him. He looks at everyone's faces to find fear (for him from his friends, of him from some others) and shock, and he flips out and flies back to Fentonworks long enough to grab a bag of stuff (clothes, fake ID, cash), leave a journal on his bed explaining everything, and take a photo of his family. He flies off into the distance, alters his appearance, and reintegrates with society as best he can. Flash forward half a decade and he's starving to death in London, England._**

 ** _END OF SPOILERS BUT I MEAN IDK WHAT YOU PLAN ON DOING NOW_**

 ** _Point is, ＯＵＣＨ_**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 **Away And Back Again**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _A blonde boy was grinning ear-to-ear despite the pounding rain. His poncho took care of most of it anyway, keeping him warm and dry. His parents were a few paces ahead, discussing what they wanted to do for tomorrow, their last day before flying back to Michigan. The blonde nineteen year old went along his merry way until he heard a loud splash coming from an alleyway just to his left. Curious, he peered into the alley and, just against the red brick building laid a kid his age. He'd fallen to the side into a puddle. His ribs poked out dangerously from a much too pale chest. His messy mop of black hair clung to his pale, gaunt face with the muddy rain water. The teenager ventured closer with a look of puzzlement. He… He looked familiar. Almost like… But it couldn't be… He saw a crinkled, torn piece of paper in his hand. It was a… photograph? His eyes widened and he nearly choked on air as he realized the identity of the boy laying in the cold mud._

 _"Is that-? No… Fenton?_ Fenton _?! O-Oh my god! I-I found-!_ Mom!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The blonde woman turned back at her son's frantic cry. "Dashiel?!"

Dash stood, transfixed, before a slumped-over young man, his hands slipping their hold on a scrap of paper. The paper fluttered up on the wind, where Dash's father plucked it fom the air before gasping. "Hope, look at this!"

Mrs. Baxter took the scrap from her husband's hands and gaped, her eyes flickering between the joyful boy in the photo and the broken one in front of her.

Dash turned back to his parents, his expression pleading as he took his fingers from the boy's neck. "We have to help him, he's still alive!"

Wordlessly, Hope took her jacket off, draping it around the boy's shoulders before pulling him up onto his feet, where he leaned against her like he was a piece of fine porcelain. Taking the hint, her husband picked him up, gasping as the boy flopped into him, while Dash took his umbrella and held it for them as they ran for the bus stop.

The frail young man in Mr. Baxter's arms had done so much for everyone back home, only for the government to hunt him like an animal and his classmates to treat him like dirt. It was about time someone paid him back for all the good things he'd done.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

He drifted in and out of consciousness.

Sometimes, he'd find himself back at home, as if the past however-many years had just been a terrible nightmare. Dad would still be happily going on about catching ghosts, Mom would be working on breakfast, and Jazz would be waiting for him outside so they could discreetly head to the Nasty Burger for an actual meal. Sam and Tucker would meet him at his locker, where they'd…they'd…

The thought drifted away.

Other times, he felt a torturous twist in his stomach, and there were muffled voices. He felt like he should know at least one of them, but at the same time…he didn't. He was a freak, after all, he should've been left to die in a natural way. Who thought prolonging his sorry excuse for a life would be productive? The Guys in White probably weren't the ones around him, otherwise there'd be pain elsewhere…probably.

He grimaced a little, and the voices acted up. Couldn't they tell he wanted to be left alone?

There was a mechanical whirring sound, accompanied by a faraway yelp, then something touched his lips. His mouth opened up the slightest bit, and something warm and slushy slid down his throat. If he could just remember what things tasted like, he'd know what it was he was being fed, but as it was, he was just thankful to be fed.

Once the slush stopped coming, he drifted away from the voices, feeling more content than he had in a long time.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Fenton's lips twitched up in a smile as Dash pulled the bowl of warm-cereal-and-milk-puree away.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Hope tried to smile reassuringly at her son's question. "Given time, and the proper resources to recover, he should be able to return to good health. He had to have had extraordinary healing to take on ghosts all night and walk into school the next morning without more than a few bruises, after all."

The tension in the room plummeted back down from the sky as Dash heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh man, you have no clue how glad I am to hear that."

"So…who wants to be deafened over the phone?" Mr. Baxter smiled warmly. "After the Incident…his family and friends were never quite the same. I wonder how they'll react."

"I'll do it, Dad." Dash volunteered without hesitating. "I think…I think it'd be best if they heard it from someone they knew, even if I wasn't always…"

Hope nodded in agreement. "Remember to be careful in how you word it, though. He's still 'wanted' by the government, and who knows how many bugs they planted in his family's house after you-know-what?" On the word 'wanted,' she clenched her fists, crumpling up the gallon of milk she'd emptied to make their hero's mush with.

Dash pulled out his phone and dialed Jazz. He'd never been able to bring himself to delete her contact info, and now he was glad he hadn't.

The phone rang for a while before someone picked up. A deep male voice answered, husky from disuse. "This is Jack Fenton. Jazz fell asleep downstairs again. Who's this?"

"Uh, this is Dash. Dash Baxter." He swallowed down his nerves and cut off Jack's reply. "Look, Mr. Fenton, I wouldn't be calling from London at this time of night if it wasn't important, heck, I wouldn't be calling at all."

"What is it, Dash?" Jack yawned.

"Well, it's…your house isn't bugged or anything, is it?" Dash started.

When Jack spoke next, it was with an intensity he hadn't had for years. "You have my attention. We clean the place of bugs with Tucker's tech savvy every week, just did it last night. They haven't had us bugged in years. Why, what happened?"

"Mr. Fenton." Dash started. "We found him. He was on the brink, but he's alive, and we've got him in our hotel room right now. He's not looking too hot, but…Mr. Fenton, he had an old photo of your family! We finally found him!"

There was silence on the other end before quiet sobbing came over the speaker. "Danny-boy, oh Danny-boy…"

Dash smiled as tears came to his own eyes.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

He came to.

As his memories started asserting themselves again, he frowned. Wasn't he supposed to be in the alley? The last thing he could remember was a faint sensastion of falling over in the rain, then everything became a muddy mess.

A thought occurred to him, his eyes shooting open in fear. If he was still here, wasn't he a full gh-

"Woah, dude, calm down, you're still weak from melnour…malnourik…lack of food!" A hand pushed down on his shoulder, forcing him back onto the cushion beneath him. He looked up and his breath caught.

Blond hair, blue eyes, large build… _Dash Baxter_ , of all people, was sitting at his bedside.

"Mom, go get Dad, he's awake!"

Mrs. Baxter stuck her head in the room with a relieved look on her face. "Oh, thank heavens, I wasn't sure how long he could hold off the manager!"

Danny made to speak, only for his voice to crack from thirst mid-word. "Wh-"

"Dude, I found you in an alleyway when we were heading back from the Old Smoke!" Dash cut him off, running his hand through his hair. "Oh man, oh man oh man oh _man_ , you have no idea how bad your parents got after you-know-what happened! Your mom hasn't picked up any of her ghost weapons, your dad-oh man, if he wore his old jumpsuit now ' _it'd feel like a crime_ ,' his words, oh man oh man…"

Danny blinked at those words, his face speaking louder than words ever could.

Dash noticed it, too. "Oh, yeah, we didn't believe it either! They kept looking for you for…gah, it must've been _years_ before they finally dropped it, if you'd wanted to be found, you'd have let them, but…oh man…" Dash seemed just as overwhelmed as Danny felt.

He swallowed as much saliva as he could produce, then asked quietly, "…years?"

"Yeah, dude…it's been like, five years." Dash answered, a lump forming behind his Adam's apple. "You didn't know?"

A silent shake of his head, then… "Still…still love..?"

"They never stopped."

Dash watched as Danny's eyes widened, then the boy was leaning against him and crying. He awkwardly reached around and hugged his old punching bag as he shook with scratchy sobs.

Mrs. Baxter peeked in to find them like that, then with a warm smile, "Are you almost ready to go, Dash? We still have to figure out how we're going to get Danny home with us."

Dash looked up with a grin. "Don't worry, Mom. I made sure to pack before I came over here. I've got my phone on me with a power bank, everything else is in my bag."

"Alright." Mrs. Baxter picked up her son's duffle. "Your father's packing up the last of our things, then we'll stop for hot dogs and figure out what to do if we haven't by then." With that, she headed out of the room.

Danny pulled away, and tears of appreciation shone in his eyes.

Dash beamed. "Okay, so, you want some water before we get going?" At Danny's nod, he got up and snagged a waterbottle from the nearby table, handing it to him. "Don't drink it too fast, Dad says you need to give it time to absorb. Mom says it's kinda like a rainstorm in the desert."

Danny nodded, tipping the water back and letting it wash down the dryness in his mouth. After a few seconds, he reluctantly put the bottle down, swishing the mouthful around before swallowing it.

"Alright, come on, you, we're going for hot dogs." Dash reached an arm around Danny's back, pulling him up so he could lean on him as they walked. "I hear Herman ze German makes the best brats in the city, and those're like…hot dogs but better!"

Danny felt his mouth pull up into a grin, and for the first time in ages, he laughed.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Jazz stepped from the kitchen to find her parents hugging in the living room. She cleared her throat, then raised an eyebrow once she had their attention.

"Jazzy-pants…" Jack choked on his emotions.

Maddie sent him a teary look before turning back to their daughter. "…Jazz, Dash found him. They're gonna try and bring him back when they leave London today."

Jazz saw blackness, and when she came to again, her dad was stroking her hair on the couch. She grinned, tears rising as she stood up and threw her arms around him, laughing as a weight finally lifted from her shoulders.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

When the phone started ringing, Angela nearly dropped her book. After a few rings without her husband or son picking up, she sighed and lifted it to her ear. "Foley residence, Angela speaking."

"Mrs. Foley, you would not believe what just happened!"

Angela frowned. "Jasmine? What's going on over there? Is someone hurt? How on earth-"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Mrs. Foley, hang on!" Jazz's voice cut her off. "Is Tucker up? He'll definitely want to hear this!"

"I'm not sure…" Angela covered the microphone of the reciever before yelling down the hallway, "TUCKER, GET ON THE LINE! JAZZ WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" With a snicker, she dropped her hand. "And now I am."

There was a click in the line, then Tucker's voice filtered in. " _Mooom_ , what's so important you gotta get me up at…uh…"

"Tucker, it's 11 in the morning, now hush." Angela laid back in her chair, reaching to take a sip of her coffee. "Jazz, what is it?"

"We found him."

Angela froze, and Tucker cautiously asked, "Like…we found him? We actually finally found him?! JAZZ, IF YOU'RE PULLING MY LEG HERE-"

"I promise, I'm not joking." Jazz explained. "I can't really say much right now, but he's finally coming home."

Angela found herself coughing as her drink scalded its way down her throat, barely noticing when Tucker sprinted from his room and out the door in nothing but his boxers and glasses, whooping all the while.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"WHAT?!"

Sam's surprised screech drew her parents' attention. Not only was their daughter speaking above a mumble, she was yelling! Only one thing could have gotten her to raise her voice. They may not have known what to think of the boy, but if she cared that much about him, they would just deal with it.

"You're not kidding, are you? You're not kidding!"

Tucker shook his head, eyes wide and smiling. "We found him, Sam! We found him!"

And with that, she tackled him in a hug as they both cried in relief.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Valerie grunted as she answered the phone. "Valerie Gray, who are you?"

"Val…"

At the sound of Tucker's voice, she gulped. "Heya, Tuck. What's up?"

"We found him."

Her phone clattered to the floor as she finally crumbled, hugging her pillow to her chest as she sobbed into it.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Technus shot through the Ghost Zone at the speed of excitement, darting from lair to lair and spreading the news he'd overheard through his connection to technology. When social media accounts based in Amity Park started PMing each other with lightning-fast responses, he felt it necessary to check in on recent events.

Needless to say, in some small way, he was relieved the halfa was as alive as he should be, and it seemed every other ghost in the zone felt the same.

He flew into the Realm of the Far Frozen, calling out to any nearby patrols, "I, Technus, come in peace! I bring a great message!"

One of the Far Frozen's patrols came over a hill, and he darted up to them with a grin. "Hello! Bring me, Technus, to your leader so I can tell him the message!"

They begrudgingly conceded to his demand, if only because the disappearance of the Great One had brought in yet another era of boredom to their lands.

The moment Technus saw Frostbite, he zipped in front of him with a wide smile. "I, Technus, bring good news of great joy!" Under his breath, he muttered, "I think that's how the phrase goes…"

"What is it, Master of Technology?" Frostbite crossed his arms, glaring slightly at the smaller ghost.

"The Ghost Child has been found!" Technus's voice echoed off the walls of the suddenly-silent caves. "He is just as alive as he should be, and he is currently being transported to Amity Park to be reunited with his family! I found out from the townspeople's trendy and hip social media accounts-they're planning a 'Welcome Back' party to last all week once he returns! This is true, or I am not Technus, Master of all things Electronic and Beeping!"

Frostbite searched the technology ghost's face for a lie, but found none. He smiled mischieviously. "The Guys in White would have a field day over this…unless there was sudden ghost activity elsewhere in the human realm…"

Technus caught on with a grin. "It would be a real shame if they were stretched too thin to deal with unsubstantiated rumors of Phantom's return, wouldn't it?"

Frostbite smiled wider.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

The town came alive again with hushed whispers.

"…found…"

"…London…"

"…Baxter…"

"…Guys in White…"

"…Danny…"

"…starving…"

"…homeless…"

"…wanted…"

"…photo of his family…"

Plans were made, calls were dispatched, and in a dusty room, a bed was cleaned off and a pillow was fluffed.

Decoys were set up, a trip was made through the portal, help was found, and somewhere across the world, an emancipated body was washed.

For the first time in centuries, ghosts and humans worked together.

Action was finally returning to the small town on the West Coast, and even if it meant fooling the very government itself to return the boy to his family, everyone was on board.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny walked beside Dash as they headed to the Baxters' rental after dinner. Already, he could feel the twisting in his gut lessen, and there was a familiar comforting chill in his chest yet again.

"So, how are we gonna do this?" Mr. Baxter asked.

Danny frowned, looking down to his shoes. "If only the Guys in White weren't still after me, I could just board as myself. As it is, I don't have any fake IDs I could use to get by anymore, and I doubt there's room in your luggage for me."

Dash quirked an eyebrow at that. "Why not just do your ghost thing and sneak onto the plane? If you stay invisible, nobody'll see you."

"Not gonna work. I haven't been able to go ghost since I started seeing my ribs in detail." Danny shook his head at that. "Though I might be able to do it long enough to get into the cargo hold and ride in there, now I have some food in me."

They got into the car and pulled away, heading for the airport.

Mrs. Baxter nodded her assent. "That should work. Stick by us until we know what plane we'll be on, then head on over once we start boarding. Is there anything you'll want while you're in there? Snacks, books..?"

"If I could get a bunch of footlongs, I wouldn't turn it down, but since I kinda don't wanna leave proof I was there…maybe a double cheeseburger and fries?" Danny grinned sheepishly, his demeanor returning to what Dash remembered from high school.

"One stop at Leon, coming up!" Mr. Baxter declared, signalling a turn.

Danny looked out the window at the streets, the evening sunshine giving the city a whole different mood from the night before.

He smiled out at the world.

He was going home.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"They actually found the dipstick?!"

Ember slung her guitar back over her shoulder as she took in what the Box Ghost had told her.

"They have! He was found without even a cozy box to call home!" He exclaimed, and for once, she wasn't inclined to shut him up. "He's going to be on a flight back to Amity Park, or my name is not the Box Ghost!"

"You know what, Boxy? I'm not even gonna kick your butt for waking me up." Ember smirked. "You said there's a plan to distract those Guys in White wackos so Babypop can get back home?"

The Box Ghost nodded. "Indeed there is, and they will tremble before my cardboard creations! I have gotten better at reshaping my boxes into things other than the perfect cubes-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm in." Ember reached back for her guitar and played a few experimental notes. "I'll teach them to drive my enemy into hiding…"

The Box Ghost started cackling as he flew off, yelling, "BEWARE, GUYS IN WHITE! THE GHOST ZONE IS COMING, OR I AM NOT THE BOX GHOST!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Elle idly kicked at a stone on the beach, knocking it into the ocean.

She hadn't seen her cousin in years, and unwelcome thoughts were crowding her mind.

Sometimes she wondered if…no. She refused to go down that path.

There was honking from the street as Sam pulled up in her smart car. "Elle! We've got news!"

"Wha-Sam!" Elle smiled, not quite reaching her eyes. "You're speaking loudly again!"

"Guess what happened last night?" Sam beamed.

Elle blinked. Sam was happy? Talking above a whisper? That could only mean…

"NO WAY!" Elle started bouncing up and down excitedly.

"YES WAY!" Sam shouted back, smile wide. "He's coming back from London with the Baxters, of all people!"

Elle transformed in the blink of an eye, black hair turning white and blue eyes becoming green, and shot into the air, whooping and loop-de-looping throughout the sky.

The people of the town looked up at their heroine and felt something inside them jump. The rumors were one thing, but seeing people celebrate because of them just drove it home.

Danny Fenton was coming back to Amity Park after a 5-year-long self-imposed exile.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Hark! The Princess wishes to speak!"

Dorathea nodded in thanks to the crier before looking out at her people. "People of Draconia, I have been given a joyful message! Sir Phantom has been found!"

The ghosts in the crowd began murmuring to each other in shock as she continued. "He is currently being transported to his hometown in the human realm, where Sir Foley and Lady Manson have begun the arrangements to have him welcomed back as the hero he is!

"But we, too, can do something for the halfa who saved us all." Dorathea explained over the crowd. "The leader of the Far Frozen, Frostbite, has hatched a plan to keep him safe as he returns home. The human government still sees him as an enemy, but they feel all our kind fits that same label. So, we ghosts shall provide a smokescreen for Sir Phantom's return!"

There was a rousing cheer from her people, and Dorathea smiled.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Skulker paced in his lair, waiting for a reply on the Ghost Child's friend's device. He'd long ago figured out how the geek kept hacking into his suit, so now he was using that link to confirm the latest gossip.

In the notes of a new calendar event, Skulker had sent his message.

'Friend of the Whelp, is it true? Is he returning?'

The infernal device dinged cheerfully, alerting him to a reply.

'Y u askin?'

Skulker couldn't help a laugh at the boy's expense, but he responded.

'Because his return will draw out the government-sanctioned "hunters," who will be the perfect way for me to hone my skills while the Whelp regains his strength and becomes a worthy opponent once more.'

'…so ur basically saying u wanna kick the giw's butts for makin danny run"

'Yes, but tell anyone and you will be given the honor of having your head mounted above my fireplace.'

'joy -_-" well, yeah, dannys comin home.'

Skulker chuckled to himself. "Let these so-called 'hunters' become the hunted…"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny reached for his ghost half, finding it easier than he had in weeks, months, even. With a grin, he vanished from view, taking his bag of fast food and running to the plane.

Well, to be more precise, he walked faster than his usual shuffle, but it exhausted him to do even that much, so if anyone asked, he ran.

He jumped up and into the baggage area, using his flight for the split second he could, then flickered into tangibility as he landed atop-he peeked into the bag-someone's yarn stash.

Danny grinned, reaching for his burger and unwrapping it as he sat on his impromptu cushion. As the plane's engines revved up, he leaned back against the curved wall. He let the plane's vibrations work their magic, slipping into a light doze, idly nibbling his burger every now and then.

Just yesterday, he was starving to death in an alley in London, and now he was heading home, to a loving family and a better future.

If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Maddie looked between her jumpsuit and a t-shirt and shorts.

There came a knock at the door, and Maddie smiled, putting both outfits down. "Come in, Ellie."

Her adoptive daughter stepped into the bedroom, returning the smile. "Are you ready for today, Mom?"

"As ready as I can be." Maddie's smile quivered. "Oh, Elle, he must hate us for-"

"Nuh-uh, that's enough of that." Elle shushed her mother as she strode to the edge of the bed, sitting beside her. "Look, Mom, he never once held it against you. Heck, he thought _you_ were gonna hold it against _him_! But now you both know…well, he always wanted you to accept him, and you just want to have him back, so I think we're in a win-win situation right now."

"I…I just…" Maddie choked back a sob. "…my poor baby's been out on the streets out of fear we wouldn't love him! _My baby boy thought_!"

"Oh, Mom…"

Elle wrapped her arms around her mom as they both started crying.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

He woke to the sound of baby chatter and the sensation of a cold breath of air.

Danny frowned as the sounds of the plane filtered into his ears.

"Yes, sweetheart, that's Danny Phantom, I told you he was still around! Can you say Danny for me?"

Danny knew that voice.

He blinked his eyes open, fighting sleep to see two ghosts sharing the storage compartment with him.

The first was an older woman with green skin and a pink hairnet, while the second was a blue baby in her arms.

Well then.

"Oh, are you awake, dearie?" The Lunch Lady smiled sweetly. "I was just bringing my little bundle of joy to see you, since we're all more-or-less under a truce right now. Say 'hi,' Box Lunch!"

The baby in her arms giggled, reaching for Danny.

Danny blinked, stuffing his fast food garbage into the bag without breaking eye contact with the ghosts. "Wait, so…there's a truce? It's not Christmas, is it?"

The Lunch Lady laughed. "Oh, gracious, no! It's just that, what with you having been found after so long, there's been a sort of ceasefire between ghosts and humans, besides those no-good Guys in White, anyway."

Danny looked from her, to her baby, to the fast food in his hand, then back to her. "I…don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything, sweetie. Care for some fish sticks?" The Lunch Lady shifted baby Box Lunch to one hip, using her freed-up hand to summon a box of steaming-hot fish sticks.

Danny mulled it over before figuring he couldn't get any worse. "Can I have some tater tots, too?"

At the Lunch Lady's lifted eyebrow, he sighed. "May I have some tater tots, too…please?"

"There we go!" She chuckled, leaving the fish sticks to float in the air as she created the tater tots.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Spectra caught sight of Kitty as she darted around their Girls' Meeting Rock, so she alighted behind her. "Mind telling me what's got you so excited? Johnny didn't propose, did he?"

Kitty turned around at that. "Psh, I wish! No, someone found Phantom!"

"He's still around?!" Spectra gaped. "No _way_!"

"No _joke_!" Kitty exclaimed. "Somebody found him starving the rest of the way to death in London, England, and now they're smuggling him back to Amity Park!"

Spectra's shadowy mouth turned up in a sly smirk. "I suppose there will be those government nutjobs looking for him…What do you say, Kitty? You up to distract a few agents with me?"

"If it'll get Phantom back where he belongs so he can get back to fighting us, you bet I am!" Kitty snickered. "I wanna beat him, but a starved boy isn't much of a challenge, you know."

"Oh, tell me about it." Spectra scoffed. "Anybody who goes after him before he's back to full capacity is…what is it he calls Plasmius? 'A seriously crazed-up fruit loop'? Oh, whatever."

"Wanna go scope out the Amity airport to see how many Guys in White we can screw over?" Kitty asked, straightening her jacket.

"Yes, let's." Spectra leapt from the rock, Kitty right behind her.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Vlad stroked his old cat as he leaned back in his mayoral chair. There was one more flight coming in from London tonight, and it would likely land sometime around 1:30 tomorrow morning.

That would have to be the flight Daniel was coming in on.

Vlad knew he wasn't privy to the finer details of Daniel's condition, and he found himself at peace with that. The boy was alive, and Vlad couldn't find it in himself to squash the rising fatherly affection in him.

As the duly-elected mayor of Amity Park, wasn't it his duty to keep his town his top priority?

If the Guys in White came to his office, well, they weren't exactly friends of his constituents, now were they?

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny looked up from playing with Box Lunch's pudgy baby fingers and beamed at the Lunch Lady. "Look…thanks, Lunch Lady. I haven't eaten anything that good in years."

"Your welcome, sweetie. When you're feeling better, we can **_BATTLE TO THE DEATH_** , but for now you need to get some muscle back on your bones!" The elder ghost smiled warmly at him, completely at odds with her sudden outburst in the middle of her sentence.

"Ah…well, thanks." Danny chuckled as Box Lunch grabbed his nose. "Hey, now, that's not for eating, you silly goose!"

Box Lunch giggled, babbling happily at him and waving her other hand in the air. She found his mouth and stuck her hand inside with a laugh. Danny snickered and pretended to eat it, with many exaggerated "om-nom-noms" between the baby's gleeful giggles.

The Lunch Lady perked up at something, then floated forward to take her baby back. "I believe the plane is just about here, dearie. We'll see you later on, and you'd best have some meat on your bones when we do!" She lifted Box Lunch from Danny before vanishing with a warm smile.

"Already there?" Danny gulped. He reached for his bag of fast food garbage, only to find it gone. He looked around the whole compartment, using a controlled ectoblast to light it, only to find all the food waste from the Lunch Lady gone as well. He dismissed the light with minimal struggle, internally thanking the chef ghost for whatever her food had been infused with.

Once the plane came to a complete stop, he turned invisible and intangible again, flying up through the plane and coming to rest on its top.

The lights of the airfield shimmered in a light fog, drowning out all but the brightest stars as the plane taxi-ed into position beside the boarding gate.

The skyline was only a bit different from what he could remember, but there in the distance, he saw the green and orange lights of Fentonworks, flickering ever so slightly.

He was back.

Danny took a shuddering breath before floating into the airport, where the Baxters were just walking in from the plane.

There was a man in a white suit overlooking the incoming travellers, and Danny felt something in his chest freeze up, but then a red-haired woman sauntered up to the agent. As she spoke to him, she looked straight at the invisible Danny with piercing green eyes and winked conspiratorially.

Danny gaped at Spectra. When the Lunch Lady had mentioned a truce, he just thought it was a mutual _leave-me-alone_ , not a _let's-help-the-halfa-kid_! Apparently, he'd been wrong!

He grinned at her before swooping back and following behind the Baxters as they hurried out of the airport, with the Guy in White none the wiser.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Spectra watched the Halfa go with a mild smirk, then turned back to the agent she'd cornered. "Now, I bet you feel simply awful about not finding the ghost boy in nearly five years, don't you? Because let me tell you, you reek of frustration and misery. You're no teen, but you'll do."

She pressed a manicured finger to the man's forehead, drawing out his negativity and siphoning it into herself as he passed out beneath her.

The perks of making a Guy in White faint in Amity Park certainly included nice things. She could do it anywhere, and as long as she didn't drain a non-agent afterwards, nobody would care to help the man.

A tired little boy in his father's arms blew a raspberry at the white-suited man as they passed, drawing a cold chuckle from Spectra.

Kitty floated up beside her. "I call dibs on the next one, alright?"

Maybe she should do this more often.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny turned visible again once they got to the Baxters' car. "Look, Dash, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, I can't thank you enough-"

Dash held up a finger to shush him. "Nuh-uh, Fenton. Scratch that, reverse it. _We_ can't thank _you_ enough. You saved our thankless butts for months only for the government to chase you away like a rabid dog. Getting you back home is the least we can do."

"My boy's got a point, Danny." Mr. Baxter nodded in agreement. "That journal you left behind cleared your name in everyone's eyes but those crazy Guys in White. We don't all know the details, like how you came to be, well, _you_ , but everything pinned on you was proven wrong. You're a good kid, and it's about time you were treated like it."

Mrs. Baxter cupped Danny's face in her hands, making sure he kept eye contact with her when she spoke. "If your parents feel for you even a fraction of what I feel for my Dashy, you'd best be prepared to be hugged, cared for, and loved to kingdom come and back, and I'm telling you now, be very, _very_ prepared."

Danny swallowed down a lump in his throat and nodded, overcome in emotion.

"Now you go back home, got it?" Mr. Baxter wagged a finger scoldingly, though the image was lost when he snickered. "It's after your bedtime!"

Danny laughingly saluted him before shooting up into the air, arcing over his hometown once more.

"We done good, Baxters." Hope smiled up at the receding flash of light. "We done good."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny alighted on the front stair and took a deep breath to quell his nerves.

On the other side of this door were the two people he'd loved and feared in equal measure for over half a decade, and likely his sister and best friends, given the cars out front.

No big, right?

All he had to do was knock.

He lifted his fist, only to stop and shudder.

No! No backing out now! It's been five years since he'd seen them, he fell unconscious expecting death and made sure to be thinking of them when he did, he's not gonna come all this way to chicken out!

Before his momentary courage could fade, he knocked.

There were shuffling footsteps from the other side before someone opened the door.

Elle blinked sleepily at the man standing in front of her. His hair seemed like it'd been grown out, and his ribs could be seen through his jacket. He stood at a surprising 6 feet, and his eyes-

Elle saw those eyes whenever she caught her own reflection.

" _DANNY_!"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him before dragging him to the couch. "Mom, Dad, Jazz, Sam, Tuck, Val, _WAKE UP_!"

Sam groaned and rolled over, only to fall off the couch entirely. She pushed herself to her hands and knees before sending Elle a short-lived glare and standing up. "I'm not a morning person, Elle, what could…possibly…" Her eyes widened as she took in the disheveled young man in front of her. "…Danny? Is that really you?"

Danny waved with a sheepish grin. "Heheh…hey, Sam."

She bolted from the floor and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly even as his ribs poked her.

The commotion woke up Jazz, who sat up, bleary-eyed, and blinked slowly at the sight before her. "Little Brother?"

Danny just smiled over Sam's shoulder at her.

"Oh my gosh, DANNY!" With that, she threw off her blanket and ran to where Jack and Maddie were sleeping, shaking their shoulders. "Mom, Dad, WAKE UP ALREADY! _HE'S HERE_!"

Tucker and Valerie both snapped awake as Jazz clambered over them. Tuck stood first, grinning at the bony man in the middle of the room. "Long time no see, dude!"

Danny chuckled. "Hey, Tuck. I'd hug ya but…" He looked down to where Sam was still holding him tightly, as if once she let him go he'd disappear.

"Understandable." Tucker snickered.

Val bit her lip. Here he was, in all his homeless glory, and she couldn't help thinking it was partially her fault. Why couldn't she just say what she'd been practicing in her head ever since the news came?

"Oh, uh…hi, Val." Danny fidgeted as Sam finally let go. "Haven't…haven't seen you in-"

"I'm sorry."

"-a while…wait, what?" Danny blinked.

Val gulped and repeated herself. "Danny, I'm sorry. For going after you, for being yet another person to be afraid of… _I'm sorry_!" Her voice cracked on the last word as she screwed her eyes shut and clenched her fists.

There were a few slow footsteps before a nearly-skeletal pair of arms wrapped around her. "Val, I never held it against you. Heck, the only people I actually held it against were the Guys in White, and last I checked, you are neither a guy nor someone in white."

Val sniffled and leaned into him.

"Danny-boy…is it really you?"

The teens all turned to where the Fenton parents were sitting up, eyes wide.

Danny barely held in a gasp. While he knew he was underfed, his mom didn't seem to be faring much better underneath her nightgown, and his dad really wasn't in his old jumpsuit. Dash must've been right, but he'd neglected to mention how his father's face had become covered in a disheveled beard and mustache. Danny knew it took forever for him to grow it long enough to shave, but for it to be this big…

He swallowed his nerves and said those long-awaited words. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad."

There was silence for a moment, then Maddie teared up and made her way to Danny, hugging him to her chest as she bawled incomprehensibly. If she'd been intelligible, they would have heard her repeat "my baby boy" in an emotional daze.

Jack followed after, scooping both of them up in one of his infamous bear hugs as his chest shook with repressed sobs.

Danny's emotional state couldn't take any more, and so he started crying, too, hugging his mom and leaning into his dad, and for the first time in what felt like forever…

…he was home.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 ** _i got angsted and tragedied so bad i had to write a happy conclusion or i was gonna scream, and then i kinda let it sit on my phone for a while_**

 ** _now, i know Christmas isn't the only winter holiday people celebrate, but i celebrate it so it's going up today. merry Christmas, happy holidays, and have a wonderful new year! :D_**


	8. Chapter 7: Twinkle

**_BEEP BEEP HERE COMES THE ROSIE TRAI_** ** _N NEXT STOP ITALICSLAND USA_**

 ** _ok in all seriousness i've been slamming into a serious wall with enigma. also i've been hopping fandoms like a bunny on a pogo stick. with a sugar rush. like, not leaving fandoms, but just adding more and more to my already-extensive list. XD looks like i'm looping back around though, which means more one-shots! :D_**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 **Twinkle**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Valerie's ghost detector beeped, but she only spared it a quick glance before turning back to her window, where the waning moon shone in the sky.

In the distance, she could see a giant ghostly green blob try to escape its tiny pursuer, only for a pulse of blue-white to shrink it down and capture it.

A mirthless smile tugged at her lips. Even after everything, Danny was still protecting the town.

The grin slipped away, replaced by a frown. She couldn't quite call it a scowl, but her eyebrows scrunched up all the same.

How had she not seen it?

The shimmering silver glow of Danny's Phantom self shot off towards Fentonworks, most likely so he could try and grab a few Z's before school that day.

Val knew she wouldn't be as lucky, what with her emotions running laps around her mind, so she sighed and opened the window, calling her suit into existence for what may very well have been the last time.

She needed to think.

With a subsonic whine, she sped away from the claustrophobic apartment and into the open sky, dropping her helmet to let the wind blow through her hair. For a moment, she felt strong again, she felt free.

She almost felt like laughing. She'd been missing out! She always had her face covered, but Danny could feel the breeze on his skin-

 _-and the scalding burns of ecto-weapons when they hit home._

Suddenly she didn't want to let the wind blow on her face.

Her facemask slid into place on her absentminded command. She coasted to a standstill above the city, lowering herself onto her board so she could sit and gaze out at the horizon.

It really hadn't been his fault, had it? Ghost dog or regular dog, if it wasn't properly trained, then of course it would do whatever it pleased! It would find someone friendly, latch on, and go to them when it wanted attention.

But because it had been a _ghost_ dog, it had latched onto a _ghost_ boy, and the powers that came with ectoplasm gave it more ways to unintentionally wreak havoc.

Valerie grimaced, laying on her board. Vlad Masters, Danielle, and now Danny. While she was off on a misguided attempt for justice, someone she liked, someone she could've maybe even gone farther with, was getting wasted by a rich guy with nothing better to do and a disturbing lack of a moral compass.

And Danielle…oh, _Dani_ …

Val's eyes screwed shut as those terrifying moments floated to the forefront of her mind.

Danielle had been Danny's clone, but she was so much more than just a copy, and she had very nearly fallen apart in Danny's hands after her torture at Vlad's!

Val's own issues seemed petty, now she had some perspective.

She was an A-Lister, once upon a time. Already, she was more privileged than the so-called Loser Trio.

Her dad lost his job.

Danny lost his life and found it again.

Her friends lost interest in her.

Danny's interests in school were pushed to the sidelines so he could keep them all alive and breathing for another day.

She took a bad thing and let it fuel her, blind her.

He took a terrible thing and let it inspire him, help him.

She hunted ghosts.

So did he.

Like two sides of a coin, almost. Val chuckled bitterly at that thought.

"Uh…Valerie?"

The voice startled her from her reverie, and she jolted up into a sitting position. She blinked away tears she hadn't remembered shedding and saw Danny once her vision cleared.

Not Fenton, not Phantom, just Danny.

"Not that I mind you…y'know, not shooting me down, but…" Danny rubbed a gloved hand against his neck, "…you okay?"

Val folded in on herself, finding her hands extremely interesting. "…how can you be so calm?"

"Eh…what?" Danny blinked in confusion, the glow of his eyes turning his eyelids a strange green-pink.

"I _hunted_ you, Danny!" Valerie's voice cracked against her will, her fists clenching. "I… _gah_ , I hunted you down for _months!_ Over a _stupid_ misunderstanding! And you're up here, asking _me_ if _I'm_ okay?!"

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, gesturing vaguely with her arms as her voice grew higher. "I just found out I was trying to brutally _murder_ someone I actually care about while he risked his neck to _save_ this town, then the whole _stinkin'_ world! The guy who gave me my first suit was insane, ghost-human hybrids exist, and, oh yeah, to top it all off, _you're checking to make sure I'm okay!_

Her helmet slid back again, giving her a chance to wipe away the tears she couldn't stop. In a shaky voice, she mumbled, "I don't know _how_ I feel, but I don't think it could ever be called 'okay.'"

Danny sighed, his hand moving to his elbow. "Figured as much. It's been a kinda long couple of days, hasn't it?"

Val snorted. "Kinda, yeah."

Danny sat down on the other side of the board, idly kicking his feet. "This whole thing has been crazy, no matter how you look at it." He leaned back to face Valerie with a wry grin. "Half-ghosts _are_ pretty rare, though, so there shouldn't have to be any more 'dramatic reveals' anytime soon." He threw in some jazz hands near the end, snickering.

She barked out a laugh, laying back against her board. Danny followed suit, his head dangling next to her legs.

They floated there for a while in companionable silence, watching the stars twinkle as color slowly seeped into the sky, before Valerie laughed humorlessly. "What kind of pair are we?"

"Well, we're a couple of insomniacs, for starters." Danny grinned, watching the world come alive again in the first moments of dawn.

"I probably oughta get back home so Dad doesn't freak out." Val pulled herself back onto the board all the way, then watched as Danny phased through it, floating up to her eye level. "See you at school?"

"Count on it." Danny grinned. "Maybe we could race?"

"Let's get breakfast, then you're on!" Valerie returned the grin, then turned towards home. Before leaving, she smiled over her shoulder. "Thanks for the talk, Danny. I think…I think I'm okay now."

Behind her, Danny beamed, shooting down into Fentonworks as the first alarm clocks chirped all across town.


	9. Chapter 8: Freckles

_**yeeeeeeet guess who may or may not be back babeys**_

〜〜〜〜〜〜

 **Freckles**

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Dude, did you get glitter on your face?"

Danny turned from his book to respond. "Tuck, I'm pretty sure this house is a no-glitter zone. Weren't you here for The Easter Ham Of '03?"

Tucker felt his stomach try to flee at the thought. "…point. Your face is still-"

The sparkles faded before his eyes, Danny's face taking on a curious expression.

"-uh, never mind?" Tuck finished. "I dunno, man, it really looked like you had some sparkly dust on your cheeks for a hot second there."

"File it under 'spooky but harmless'?" Danny grinned.

"File it under 'spooky but harmless'." Tucker snorted, flopping back onto Danny's bed and pulling up Galaga on his PDA.

Danny beamed and went back to his book, relishing the rare moment of peace and quiet.

A few seconds passed in amiable silence, and then a light green glow from Danny's direction caught Tucker's attention again.

The glitter was back, and this time Tucker could recognize the patterns of it on Danny's smiling cheekbones.

He glanced at the cover of Danny's book- "Stars, Planets, and Other Heavenly Bodies."

Oh.

 _Oh._

Oh, Sam was gonna have a field day! (But not before Tucker had one, first!)

Tucker slowly lifted his PDA, careful not to break the moment until _after_ taking the picture.

The PDA made a sound as if a camera's shutter had clicked, startling Danny from his book and dimming the glow of his face. "Tucker, what-?"

"I told you there was something on your face!" Tucker cut him off with a sharklike grin, leaning forward and turning his PDA around so Danny could see the picture.

Danny squinted for a moment before processing what his eyes were telling him. "Do…do I have constellation freckles?"

" _Glowing_ constellation freckles." Tucker corrected. "And, may I just say, if I didn't know your ability to kick butt, you'd seem so small and protectable when they show up!"

A puff of blue chilled the air, and Danny lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, we're not done with this."

"Not by a long shot." Tucker agreed, sliding off the bed and shoving his PDA in his pocket for safekeeping. "I'll grab the thermos and see if Sam's parents are done playing dress-up."

Danny nodded and jumped through his bedroom wall in a flash of light, the faintest glow still visible on his face.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Yo, Phantom!" Tucker yelled from the crowd, waving something above his head. "Catch!"

Danny caught the thermos and fired off a sloppy salute before facing the ghostly crocogator-thing. "Alright, playtime's over!"

It hissed and snapped at him, but a quick flick of the thermos lid had it whirling inside. With a smile (minimal property damage this time!) Danny screwed the cap on and started the "wave and fly off" routine.

Before he could disappear from view, a little girl shouted, "Look, Mommy! Mister Phantom has freckles, too!"

Danny blinked. Freckles? He didn't have any…freckles…wait. He made a swirl of ecto-ice in his hand, shaping it into a mirror he could hold in one hand.

The glowing glitter on his face that Tucker had noticed, the constellation-shaped sparkles…were still visible.

As if responding to his thoughts of constellations, the freckles pulsed with light, much to the little girl's joy.

With a wave of his hand, the ice mirror vanished, and he floated down to the ground, by the girl who'd first pointed it out. He grinned, trying to seem more approachable to the starstruck mother and daughter. "These aren't just normal freckles, either. Y'see these ones?" He gestured to his left cheek. "These look like the constellation of the Big Dipper!"

"Just like in space?" The girl reached up to trace the constellation, almost without realizing it.

"Yeah!" Danny's eyes lit up, literally. "The stars up there are so big, but we're so far away that we can make connect-the-dot pictures with them!"

The mother blinked. "Phantom…"

Danny snapped out of his space-nerd-trance, scratching the back of his neck and chuckling nervously. "Ah, sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to-"

"…how old _are_ you? Really?"

Danny blinked owlishly up at her (when did he touch down on the ground?) as his mind switched gears. "Uh, well, I mean…I was just starting high school when… _this_ …happened…"

The mother didn't seem to know what to say. Frankly, neither did Danny, or the rest of the crowd, for that matter.

Fortunately (or not), the unmistakable sound of the Fenton Assault Vehicle gave Danny an excuse to get out of the increasingly-strange situation. "Oh, uh, that's my cue! Have a good day, everybody!"

And with that, he vanished, invisibly doing a few loops around town to throw off his parents before flying back home.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"Dude!"

"Tucker, I know."

"Yeah, but…DUDE!"

Danny groaned and stuck a piece of scrap paper into his book, setting it aside and turning to face Tucker. "Look, I'm not even entirely sure what happened there, okay?"

Sam chuckled from her spot on Danny's bed. "Well, from the footage, it looked like you went from hero mode to space mode, and you turned the adorable up to 11, to boot!"

"What?" Danny blinked.

"What?" Sam retorted, a blush rising to her cheeks.

Tucker sighed and flipped upside-down, letting his legs reclaim a little of Danny's mattress, even if he himself had been booted to the floor. " _Anyway,_ while we've filed that under 'spooky but harmless,' the rest of Amity doesn't know that."

"Which means they could be making all sorts of wild theories." Danny groaned. "Just my luck."

"Hey, just be glad nobody's noticed the glowing freckles in your human form yet." Sam countered. "If anything, I bet this could just be the final piece of evidence to prove you're a friendly ghost! Seriously, a hero who also has a childlike wonder for the stars?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the pessimistic one?" Danny pointed out with a grin.

"Of course, it comes with the goth territory. Lately, you've been hogging all the pessimism, though, so _somebody's_ gotta balance it out!" Sam smirked. "Believe me, it's just as weird for me as it is for you!"

"Well, I hope you're right." Tucker let his head drop back against the floor. "The less people try to shoot at Danny, the better."

〜〜〜〜〜〜

That night, Danny found himself under clear skies, so he flipped onto his back and started picking out constellations, hoping to lull himself into a sleepy state so he could go right to sleep when he got home.

The Big and Little Dippers, Hercules, Bootes…the sight of the stars made him feel serene. Even if he never got to be an astronaut, he could just fly above the skies whenever he wanted.

It would be amazing.

Something pricked at the edges of his hearing, and he flipped back over and scanned the streets for whatever it may have been.

"H-y, -an-om!"

Was someone calling for him?

He finally caught sight of a couple people in the park, trying to flag him down.

Danny shrugged to himself and dove, slowing down as he approached them. "What seems to be the problem?"

The one who'd flagged him down seemed shocked it had worked, so his friend answered for him. "Well, there's no problem, it's just…"

Danny blinked, landing as he waited for them to sort out their thoughts. "It's just…?"

The third of the group picked up for her friends. "It's just, we saw how much you enjoyed talking about stars earlier today, so I guess, when we saw you flying up there, we kinda got the idea to ask if you'd wanna stargaze with us?"

Though Danny didn't know it, the starry freckles dotting his face flared up, casting a warm green glow over the three stargazers and-

Danny's eyes went wide. "Is that a Stellatron Nova 7BH telescope?!"

"Also known as the best birthday present _ever!_ " The second of the three crowed, throwing an arm over each of their friends. "This baby can get enough zoom to see the flag on the moon, easy!"

Danny's hand reached forward before he pulled back. "Ah, may I?"

"Go right ahead." The second nodded, their friends grinning with them.

Danny lit up and shot forward, carefully inspecting each of the components before pressing his eye to the eyepiece. "Woah, are those Alcor and Mizar?"

The first chuckled, walking over and carefully placing his hand on Danny's shoulder. (It just felt like the right thing to do when showing someone so small their telescope.) "Yeah, we were testing this thing out and figured a binary system would probably be a good benchmark."

"Yeah…" Danny trailed off, staring through the telescope and, quite literally, into space.

Across town, the clock tower rang out its 1-bell song, and Danny jolted, snapping his head up from the telescope. "Aw, crap, is that the time? Sorry, guys, I gotta get going!"

"Hey, no prob, Phantom." The third of the group waved him off. "Not everybody's a night person."

"Yeah, no sweat!" Added the first.

"I'm down to stargaze if you are." The second joined in. "Being a ghost probably has a whole bunch of strings attached, but as far as I'm concerned, we're cool."

Danny blinked, swallowed back the lump in his throat, and grinned. "Thanks. I might just take you up on that."


End file.
